Jacksonville's unemployment rate was stable in August as the summer job season wound down.
The jobless rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area (Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties) fell from 3.5% in July to 3.4% in August, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity reported Friday.
The state agency does not adjust its data for seasonal factors, such as students leaving summer jobs and new hiring at schools in August. However, the University of North Florida's Local Economic Indicators Project reported when seasonally adjusted, the unemployment rate in the Jacksonville area ticked up from 3.47% in July to 3.48% in August.
“A stable seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, combined with a rising average hourly earnings in the private sector, indicate that the labor market in Jacksonville had a solid performance in August,” UNF economist Albert Loh said.
Duval County's unemployment rate, without adjustment, fell by 0.1 point to 3.6% last month, the Department of Economic Opportunity reported. Loh said when it is seasonally adjusted, the rate dipped from 3.63% in July to 3.62% in August.
Non-farm businesses in the Jacksonville area reported their payrolls grew by 15,600 jobs from August 2018 to August 2019, a 2.2% growth rate, the Department of Economic Opportunity said.
The job growth was led by a surge in construction jobs, which increased by 3,600 over the 12-month period, or 8%.
Other gains came in the professional, scientific and technical services sector, up 3,400 or 7.5%, and the education and health services sector which gained 3,500 jobs, or 3.3%.
Meanwhile, the transportation, warehousing and utilities sector lost 2,400 jobs in the past year, or 6.3%.
Jacksonville's job growth lagged behind Florida's statewide increase of 2.5% in the past year, representing 221,200 jobs.
Florida's statewide unemployment rate was also better than Jacksonville's at a seasonally adjusted 3.3% last month, unchanged from July.