Jobs Still Slipping Away

Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March was 12.3%, up from February’s rate of 12.2%, and the highest on record since 1970.

About 1.14 million out of a labor force of 9.27 million are out of work, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation, or AWI. The 12.3% jobless rate is also up 2.7% from a year ago. The jobless rate continues to remain higher than the national rate, which was 9.7% in March.

State unemployment agency officials said Florida’s rate of job decline is steeper than the national rate of decline, but the annual rate of job loss is moderating.

“Florida’s job market continues to show signs of improvement with job losses moderating and new job listings increasing,” said AWI director Cynthia Lorenzo. “We continue to see encouraging indicators that Florida’s economy is on the road to recovery.”

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