New Florida jobless applications fall to pandemic low — but U.S. stays over a million
New applications for unemployment assistance hit another pandemic low in Florida last week — but total jobless claims for the rest of the U.S. remain stuck above 1 million, suggesting the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak continues.
For the week ending Aug. 22, Florida counted 45,723 new unemployment claims, a decrease from last week’s 72,774 count. It’s the second time in three weeks that the state figure has dipped to a new low since the onset of the pandemic. However, the new figure remains well above Florida’s pre-pandemic weekly count, which averaged about 5,000 claims.
So-called continuing claims, or the number of unemployment filers on state assistance for at least two consecutive weeks, also decreased, from 512,527 to 431,646. That figure also represents a new pandemic low but remains well above pre-pandemic levels.
For the U.S., new claims on the week decreased 98,000 to 1,006,000.
“Today’s Labor Department report indicates just how many working families continue to suffer as the nation navigates through the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Andrew Stettner, senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank, in a release. “The number of seasonally adjusted initial claims for state benefits remained above one million for the second straight week, even after a slight decline earlier this month. ... Six months into the pandemic, the leading issue is not new layoffs but rather the exceedingly slow pace by which workers are being rehired.”
On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he would accept President Donald Trump’s offer to states to accept federal unemployment assistance of $300 per person in exchange for kicking in $100.
Other recent economic data show Florida’s economy remains seriously impaired. In an advanced release last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found the unemployment rate in Miami-Dade had hit a record high in July. This was likely due to an acute influx of workers to the labor force.
The unemployment rate climbed from 11.8% to 14.2% in July, while the labor force also expanded from 1,278,300 to 1,332,900, or by about 4.3% over the period. The unemployment rate is defined as the percentage of workers looking for a job versus the size of the given labor force.
That labor force surge, in turn, was likely caused by the large increase in new jobs available that came with the lifting of some social distancing measures the previous month, like the reopening of hotels. The state added about 300,000 new jobs in June.
However, it subsequently saw a sharp slowdown in job creation, with about 78,000 new positions created in July.
Farther north, Orlando continues to hemorrhage hospitality jobs.
On Aug. 21, the Orlando World Center Marriott announced 601 job separations, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The Marriott Village Orlando Complex added another 73 separations on that day, while the JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort and Spa let go of 187 employees. ‘
According to the state’s most recent monthly unemployment release, Orlando-area counties now suffer from the state’s highest unemployment rates, with Osceola County at 20.2% and Orange County at 16.1%. Miami-Dade’s 14.2% is the third-highest in the state.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 8:57 AM.
