The jobs picture in Jacksonville picked up in June with unemployment dropping to 8% as compared to 10.4% in May, according to numbers released Friday by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
But the jobs picture is still far gloomier than it was a year ago, when the June 2019 rate was just 3.4%.
More than 59,000 people in Jacksonville's metropolitan statistical area were listed as unemployed in June, while 688,485 did have jobs, according to the report, which was not seasonally adjusted.
Florida’s overall unemployment rate dropped to 10.4% in June, as the state started the second phase of its economic-recovery effort amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Economic Opportunity said Friday. The statewide rate for June was seasonally adjusted.
The rate was down from an adjusted rate of 13.7% in May. The state had initially announced a 14.5% rate for May but adjusted it downward in Friday's report.
The latest numbers indicate an estimated 1.02 million Floridians were out of work in June, a decrease of 298,000 from May, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity.
The release of the June numbers came a day after the U.S. Department of Labor estimated that first-time jobless claims in Florida nearly doubled last week as the state deals with a surge in coronavirus cases.
The Department of Labor said 129,408 initial claims were filed during the week that ended July 11, up from 66,941 during the week prior.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday that unemployment rates were lower in June in 42 states, higher in five states, and stable in three states and the District of Columbia.
The national unemployment rate dropped 2.2.% to 11.1%, according to the bureau.
Massachusetts had the highest unemployment rate at 17.4%, while Kentucky had the lowest at 4.3%.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
