Unemployment fell last month in the Jacksonville area, but not as much as it usually does in August.
The jobless rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area – consisting of Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties – fell from 5.7 percent in July to 5.5 percent in August, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity reported Friday.
However, the state agency does not adjust its data for seasonal factors. When the data is seasonally adjusted, it actually shows a slight uptick in the unemployment rate from 5.41 percent in July to 5.46 percent last month, according to the University of North Florida’s Local Economic Indicators Project (LEIP).
UNF economist Paul Mason said the job market typically improves in August every year, and that’s why the seasonally adjusted rate rose.
“Ordinarily, things pick up in August better than this,” he said.
Duval County showed more improvement than the rest of the metropolitan area last month.
The unadjusted unemployment rate fell from 6.2 percent in July to 5.9 percent in August, the Department of Economic Opportunity said. Even after the data is seasonally adjusted, it still shows a drop from 6.01 percent to 5.85 percent, according to LEIP.
St. Johns County continues by far to have the best unemployment rate in the area, falling by 0.1-percentage point to 4 percent last month, without seasonal adjustment. That’s the second-best unemployment rate in all of Florida, behind Monroe County’s 3.7 percent.
Statewide, Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell by 0.2-points to 5.3 percent last month, the Department of Economic Opportunity said.
A separate survey of businesses by the agency showed that the Jacksonville area gained 15,000 non-farm jobs from August 2014 through August 2015, a 2.4 percent growth rate.
Three business sectors accounted for most of the growth: The leisure and hospitality sector gained 5,100 jobs in the 12-month period, a 6.6 percent growth rate; the education and health services sector gained 5,000 jobs, or 5.4 percent; and the retail trade industry gained 4,500 jobs, or 6.2 percent.
At the other end of the spectrum, the professional and technical services sector lost 2,900 jobs, a 7.2 percent drop. That was by the far the biggest drop in jobs in the Jacksonville area.
That sector covers a broad range of businesses including the legal, accounting and engineering professions.
Jacksonville’s job growth lagged behind Florida’s statewide growth rate of 3.3 percent in the 12-month period.