JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Last Friday, Gov. DeSantis announced that the Jacksonville area’s labor force was up 4.5% over the year in April 2023.
Additionally, the Jacksonville area’s private sector employment was up 4.3%, meaning 29,500 jobs jobs were created, over the year in April 2023.
In April 2023, the Jacksonville area led the metro areas in job gains over the year in financial activities, increasing by 3,100 jobs and information, increasing by 600 jobs.
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The Jacksonville area unemployment rate was 2.3% in April 2023, down 0.3 percentage point from the April 2022 rate of 2.6%. The Jacksonville area labor force also grew by 36,567 over the year, up 4.5%.
The industries gaining the most jobs were leisure and hospitality, increasing by 5,600 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities increased by 5,400 jobs, and professional and business services increased by 5,300 jobs. Finally, education and health services increased by 5,000 jobs.
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In April 2023, Florida’s unemployment rate was 2.6% for the fourth consecutive month, which is 0.8 percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.4%. Florida’s statewide unemployment rate has remained lower than the national rate for 30 consecutive months since November 2020.
In addition, the labor force was 10,960,000, an increase of 5.8% since February 2020. Between April 2022 and April 2023, Florida’s total private sector employment grew by 336,200 jobs or 4.1%, which is faster than the national private sector job growth rate of 2.7% during the same time period.
In April 2023, with the exception of October 2022, Florida employers added jobs for 35 months since May 2020. Florida’s over-the-year private sector job growth rate has exceeded the nation’s growth rate for 25 consecutive months since April 2021.
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Data from the month of April continues to indicate there are many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with more than 464,000 jobs posted online. Floridians in search of work and new job opportunities are encouraged to turn to the CareerSource Florida network for help.
Floridians can find guidance on how to register with Employ Florida and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve their employability by perfecting resume writing and interviewing skills, establishing career goals and pursuing customized career training. These services are provided at no cost to job seekers.
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To view the April 2023 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.
Visit Florida Insight for more information on the labor market and economic data. Additionally, the Department has provided a video to assist users in explaining the data provided through Florida Insight.
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