Florida’s unemployment rate held steady in December but the state lost jobs for the first time in more than a year.
Florida’s unemployment rate spent a second month at 4.9 percent—two tenths higher than the post-recession low the state reached earlier this year. But perhaps more troubling for jobs-oriented Governor Rick Scott is faltering private sector employment.
“December was not as strong of a month,” state jobs czar Cissy Proctor says, “but when we look back at 2016 we see strong and confident job growth. We do expect fluctuations month to month.”
If December’s preliminary figures hold, Florida’s total job growth for the year will be slightly more than a quarter million.
