Jacksonville’s unemployment rate edged lower in November while Northeast Florida businesses continued to report strong job growth.
The jobless rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties fell from 3.1% in October to 3% in November, the Florida Department of Commerce reported Dec. 22.
Nonfarm businesses in Northeast Florida reported a net gain of 30,200 jobs from November 2022 through November 2023, a 3.8% growth rate.
All five counties in the metro area reported a slight decline in unemployment in November.
Duval County’s jobless rate fell from 3.2% in October to 3.1% last month, the highest of the five counties.
St. Johns County was the lowest at 2.7%. Baker and Nassau were at 2.9% and Clay was at 3%.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up by 0.1 percentage point to 2.9% in November.
The Department of Commerce does not adjust local area unemployment data for seasonal factors in its monthly report, and Florida’s jobless rate was slightly lower before seasonal adjustment.
Jacksonville’s job growth rate was well above the statewide increase of 2.8%.
Most major industry sectors in the Jacksonville area continued to add jobs.
The largest job losses in the 12 months through November came in the category of administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, which declined by 800 jobs, or 1.3%.
On a percentage basis, the biggest losses came in the information sector, which fell by 700 jobs, or 5%.
The biggest gains on a percentage basis came in the professional, scientific and technical sector, which added 6,100 jobs, or 10.7%.
The most jobs added came in private education and health services, which grew by 8,100 jobs, or 6.7%.