Daytona Beach, FL – Make it 4 months in a row that local unemployment takes a tumble and it drops to levels not seen in nearly a decade.
The latest Florida Department of Economic Opportunity report shows Volusia with a 5.1% unemployment rate for November 2015. That’s 1.1% under last November’s rate and a 1/5th of a point drop compared to October.
Flagler’s unemployment rate for November 2015 came in at 5.6%, a 1.3% improvement over the November prior and 2/5ths of a point better than October.
Volusia’s rate is the lowest it’s been since December 2007. Flagler’s hasn’t been this low since March 2007.
Volusia tied for 29th highest at the Florida county level with Bay, Jefferson and Jackson, while Flagler tied for 14th highest with Holmes.
In terms of metro area, Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach-Palm Coast tied for 11th highest with Panama City.
6,000 more jobs were reported in Volusia and Flagler for November 2015 compared to November 2014, according to a CareerSource report.
That same report also shows 14,394 unemployed people in the 2-county area – a slight drop compared to October – and that the metro area gained jobs in nearly every major job category, including a 9.9% jump in professional and business services and a 5.8% rise in manufacturing.
The biggest gains job-wise were in professional and business services (+2,100), followed by education and health services (+1,000).
At the state level, Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5% in November 2015 is the lowest it’s been since January 2008. The state also created 35,200 jobs that month.
For the first time since January, Florida’s unemployment rate is not higher than the national average. It’s tied at 5%. That same rate was at 5.7% in November 2014 and at 5.2% in October 2015.
More than a million new jobs have been created in Florida during the Rick Scott administration, according to FDEO Executive Director Jesse Panuccio.
Holiday hiring is one reason for the lower unemployment rate statewide, according to FDEO. 15,000 new jobs created last month are in department stores and other retail outlets.
All numbers are not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise noted.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.