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Highlands Today

Florida's jobless rate was 11.2 percent in October

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Special to Highlands Today

Published: November 22, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October 2009 is 11.2 percent, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

This represents 1,027,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,175,000. The unemployment rate is nearly unchanged from the revised September rate of 11.1 percent, but is up 4.3 percentage points from the October 2008 rate.

In Highlands County, the rate declined slightly last month compared to September. It was 11.4 percent in October and 11.6 in September. The percentage of unemployed in October 2008 was 8.3 percent.

The state's current unemployment rate is 1 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate of 10.2 percent. October's rate was the highest since June 1975 when it was also 11.2 percent. The last time it was higher was May 1975 when it was 11.9 percent.

Florida's total nonagricultural employment in October 2009 is 7,340,200, representing a job loss of 339,600, or -4.4 percent compared to October 2008. This is steeper than the national rate of decline for October which is -4 percent over the year. The October 2009 job loss continues the trend of annual declines that began in August 2007. Florida's rate of job decline has moderated over the last few months, moving from -5.4 percent in March 2009 to -4.4 percent in October 2009.

Industries losing the most jobs are trade, transportation, and utilities; professional and business services; and construction. These three industries account for more than two-thirds of the job losses in the state. Healthcare has been Florida's only growth sector for most of 2009.

"This rate indicates that Florida's families and businesses are still facing challenges, while fewer job losses reveal slight improvement in the economic climate," said Agency for Workforce Innovation Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo. "We remain committed to serving the needs of unemployed workers and employers through Florida's dynamic network of job placement and training services."

AWI continues to enhance customer services to meet record demand. A new feature on the agency's Web site, www.floridajobs.org, allows unemployment compensation customers to search online to find out whether they might be eligible to receive benefits under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Tier III program, signed into law by President Obama on Nov. 6. The agency expects to begin making payments under the new program early next month.

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