PUNTA GORDA, Fla.–Florida’s unemployment rate continues to outpace the national averages, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Oct. 21, saying The Sunshine State has hit “another historic low,” despite the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian.
DeSantis announced that the state’s September unemployment rate dropped to 2.5 percent. It is the second lowest rate in state recorded history and the lowest since October 2006, the governor’s office said in a written statement.
On Aug. 19, DeSantis announced that Florida’s July unemployment rate had dropped to “a historic low” of 2.7 percent.
The governor’s office reported in late August that “this level has only been reached three times” since 1976, when the state began recording unemployment data.
In September, Florida also had the second fastest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the nation, growing at an annual rate of 1.6 percent in the second quarter of 2022, whereas the national GDP has declined for two consecutive quarters, which demonstrates that Florida’s economy has remained strong, the governor said.
“Florida’s economy continues to outpace the national average,” DeSantis said in a prepared release. “Floridians are finding jobs, and our state’s businesses are thriving.”
While inflation continues to surge nationally under current federal policies, and with “Southwest Florida recovering from Hurricane Ian, Florida has maintained sound fiscal and economic policies that will help us mitigate these challenges,” the governor said.
During the year, statistics show, private sector job numbers grew by 5.8 percent or 461,500. And that private sector growth averaged 1.4 percent faster that the national rate of 4.4 percent.
For 29 consecutive months ending September 2022, Florida employers added jobs, the release said.
The governor’s office also reported that, over the last year, the private sector job growth rate has exceeded the national rate for 18 consecutive months since April 2021. And that leading the growth in private sector jobs is the education and health services industry adding 19,100 jobs with construction adding 6,900 and the leisure and hospitality industry with another 6,900 jobs.
September data indicates that there are job opportunities available throughout the state, with more than 464,000 jobs posted online, the release said.
“Florida’s economy is strong, resilient, and positioned for continued success,” according to Department of Economic Opportunity Secretary Dane Eagle.DeSantis was recently endorsed by four job creation organizations at an event in Tampa. The National Federation of Independent Business Florida PAC, Florida Trucking Association PAC, Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida, and the Florida Home Builders Association endorsed him for his second term as governor of Florida.
The Florida Trucking Association, in its nearly 90-year history, has never endorsed a candidate until now. However, the governor’s fiscal policies are what drove the trucking association to endorse the governor. Alix Miller, President and CEO of the Florida Trucking Association, said that trucking is an intricate part of Florida’s industry from medical to retail and commended the governor for keeping the state open during the COVID lockdowns.
“All rely on the more than 114,000 trucking companies in the state to stay in business,” she said during the campaign event. “And with that comes a historic endorsement of Gov. DeSantis in recognition of the commitment he has shown to keep our supply chain health and our economy booming.”
