The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Announces the Jacksonville Area December 2021 Employment Data

Governor DeSantis Announces the Jacksonville Area November 2021 Unemployment Rate Drops to 3.2%

Jacksonville, Fla. - Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Jacksonville area unemployment rate was 3.2% in December 2021, up 0.1 percentage point from the year ago rate of 3.1%. The Jacksonville area labor force increased by 51,191 over the year, a 6.6% increase.

In December 2021, the Jacksonville area added 28,600 new private sector jobs over the year, a 4.4% increase. The industries gaining the most jobs over the year were trade, transportation, and utilities, increasing by 8,700 jobs; and professional and business services, increasing by 6,700 jobs.

In total, Florida has gained 1,168,400 private sector jobs since April 2020, which represents the recovery of 92.1% of jobs lost during the pandemic. Florida continues to see significant increases in labor force, growing by 616,000 over the year as Floridians remain confident in returning to the labor force. Florida's unemployment rate has lowered to 4.4%, decreasing by 0.7 percentage point over the year.

Data in the month of December indicates that there continue to be many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with nearly 550,000 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 to register with Employ Florida and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve 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.

To view the statewide December 2021 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.

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