Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, the Department of Economic Opportunity announced the West Palm Beach area private-sector employment decreased by 53,100 jobs (-9.3 percent) over the year. The West Palm Beach area’s unemployment rate was 8.0 percent in August, up 4.4 percentage points from one year ago.

The industries losing the most jobs over the year were: leisure and hospitality (-22,000 jobs); and professional and business services (-10,700 jobs). 

Statewide, the number of private-sector jobs increased 46,000, up 0.6 percent from July 2020. Florida’s unemployment rate decreased to 7.4 percent in August 2020. Florida’s labor force was up 143,000 (+1.4 percent) over the month.

To view the August 2020 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.  

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