Governor DeSantis Announces Jacksonville Area Private Sector Employment Up 5.2 Percent, Leading Jobs Gained in Professional and Business Services in October 2022

Jacksonville, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Jacksonville area’s private sector employment increased by 5.2 percent over the year in October 2022, and led the state in jobs gained in the Professional and Business Services sector in October 2022 with an increase of 12, 700 jobs.

The Jacksonville area unemployment rate was 2.5 percent, down 0.8 percentage point from the year ago rate of 3.3 percent. The Jacksonville area’s private sector employment increased by 34,700 jobs, or 5.2 percent over the year. The Jacksonville area labor force increased by 4.5 percent (+36,154) over the year in October 2022. The Jacksonville area industry gaining the most jobs over the year in October 2022 was professional and business services.

Governor Ron DeSantis also announced that Florida surpassed pre-pandemic employment levels in all nine major private sector industries and created jobs for the 30^th consecutive month in October 2022. Over the month, Florida’s labor force grew 0.3 percent (+36,000) while the national labor force shrank, and Florida’s private sector employment grew by 0.4 percent over the month (+35,000 jobs), doubling the national growth rate of 0.2 percent.

Florida’s statewide unemployment rate was 2.7 percent in October 2022, an increase of 0.2 percentage point over the month but 1.0 percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent. Florida’s statewide unemployment rate has been lower than the national rate for 23 consecutive months since December 2020.

Data in the month of October continues to indicate there are many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with more than 476,000 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.

To view the statewide October 2022 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases. Visit Florida Insight  for more information on labor market and economic data.   

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