First-time unemployment claims in Florida went up after the Labor Day weekend, but the number was similar to the weekly average since the start of the year.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday issued a report that said an estimated 5,418 jobless claims were filed in Florida during the week that ended Sept. 9.
That was up from 4,812 claims during the previous week and slightly below the weekly average of 5,768 claims since the start of the year. The Florida Department of Commerce on Friday will release an August unemployment report.
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The state had a 2.7 percent unemployment rate in July, representing an estimated 295,000 Floridians qualified as out of work from a workforce of 11.08 million. The national unemployment rate was 3.8 percent in August, the highest rate since February 2022.
That came despite the Department of Labor reporting that the economy added 187,000 jobs in August and the labor-force participation rate hit 62.8 percent, the highest since just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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