Jacksonville’s unemployment rate fell in April, mainly because some people dropped out of the labor force.
The jobless rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties fell from 3.4% in March to 3.2% in April, the Florida Department of Commerce reported May 17.
The department’s survey of households in Northeast Florida found 819,430 people said they are employed, about the same as in March. However, the number of people in the labor force fell by about 1,600 to 848,326, so the unemployment rate fell.
People are considered in the labor force if they have a job or are actively seeking employment.
All five counties in the region had a decline in unemployment in April, with Duval County’s rate falling from 3.5% to 3.3%, the highest in the metro area.
St. Johns County was the lowest at 2.9%, followed by Nassau at 3.0% and Baker and Clay both at 3.2%.
Florida’s statewide unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point last month to a seasonally adjusted 3.3%.
Without adjustment, the rate declined by 0.1 point to 3.2%. The Department of Commerce does not adjust local area jobless rates for seasonal factors in its monthly reports.
The agency’s survey of non-agricultural businesses in the Jacksonville area found they added a net total of 15,700 jobs from May 2023 through May 2024, a 2% growth rate.
A majority of industry sectors increased jobs but a handful cut their payrolls.
The biggest job losses came in the categories of administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, which fell by 2,500, or 4.3%, and finance and insurance, which declined by 1,500, or 2.4%.
The largest net gains came in the category of private education and health services, up 6,600 or 5.3%, and accommodation and food services, up 3,300 or 4.3%.
Jacksonville lagged Florida’s statewide growth rate of 2.5% in the 12-month period.