The holiday hiring bonanza is on in Florida as the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reports a huge drop in first-time claims.
There were 3,547 new filings for jobless benefits in the Sunshine State for the week ending Nov. 29. That’s down from the 5,946 claims recorded for the week ending Nov. 22, a drop of 2,399.
That’s the biggest single-week reduction in months for Florida, and it’s one of the rare weeks where the total number of new claims fell below 4,000 this year.
The latest DOL report is a sign that full holiday hiring is underway throughout the state. Businesses typically see a rush of hiring from November into January as stores prepare for shoppers to buy gifts for loved ones and friends. Usually, the low number of new claims lasts because of the rush of hiring by businesses during the stretch between November into January.
DOL officials say there was a substantial drop in new unemployment filings across the country in the past week as well. There were 197,221 claims nationally last week, a whopping 20% decline from the week before that, a decrease of 49,419 filings. DOL analysts had projected seasonal hiring would see decreased claims, but not by that much. Federal economists predicted a drop of 21,172 claims or an 8.6% reduction.
The latest national figure is also a decrease in the year-over-year comparison. There were 211,226 claims for the comparable week in 2024.
Florida has not updated the general unemployment rate for the state since August, as data collection ceased during the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 and lasted 43 days.
Usually, FloridaCommerce handles that element of unemployment figures. The August report showed that the statewide monthly unemployment figure came in at 3.8%, an increase from the previous month’s rate of 3.7%, which had held steady from the Spring into much of the Summer.
