~West Palm Beach Area Unemployment Rate Drops 10 Percentage Points Since Highest Rate During Pandemic~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced the statewide number of private sector jobs increased by 32,900 over the month, resulting in eleven consecutive months of job growth. Florida’s unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in March 2021, unchanged from February 2021 and remaining far below the national average of 6.0 percent.  Florida’s labor force was up 46,000, a growth of 0.5 percentage point over the month.

The unemployment rate in the West Palm Beach area was 4.7 percent in March, down from 14.7 percent reported in April 2020, the highest rate during the pandemic. The West Palm Beach area private sector employment decreased by 24,400 jobs, a decline of 4.2 percent over the year. The industries gaining the most amount of jobs over the year include professional and business services, increasing by 400 jobs; and manufacturing, increasing by 100 jobs. The industry losing the most jobs over the year was leisure and hospitality, decreasing by 12,600 jobs. 

Floridians in search of work and new job opportunities are encouraged to turn to the CareerSource Florida network for help. Floridians can find guidance to register with Employ Florida (EmployFlorida.com) and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve employability assistance, perfecting resume writing, interviewing skills, establishing career goals, and pursuing customized career training. These services are provided at no cost to job seekers.

To view the March 2021 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.  

###