Governor DeSantis Announces Southwest Florida Labor Force Up More Than 40,500 Over the Year

Naples, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Naples area private sector employment increased by 10,400 jobs over the year, an increase of 7.6%. The unemployment rate in the Naples area was 2.9% in November 2021, down from 3.7% reported in November 2020.

The Fort Myers area private sector employment increased by 14,000 jobs over the year, an increase of 6.1%. The unemployment rate in the Fort Myers area was 3.5% in November, down from 4.2% reported in November 2020.

The Naples area labor force in November 2021 increased by 15,716 over the year, a 8.9% increase. The industry gaining the most jobs over the year was leisure and hospitality, increasing by 4,000 jobs.

The Fort Myers area labor force in November 2021 increased by 24,851 over the year, a 7.3% increase. The industry gaining the most jobs over the year was leisure and hospitality, increasing by 5,000 jobs.

Florida’s November 2021 economic data reflects Florida’s “Freedom First” approach by continuing to build a solid economic foundation, with positive job growth, labor force increases, and a decline in the unemployment rate. Florida’s job growth in November was six times faster than the nation, as Florida gained 51,100 jobs and grew at a rate of 0.6% while the nation as a whole grew at a rate of 0.1% over the month. Florida’s economy continues to thrive thanks to Governor DeSantis’ successful policies that put Floridians and businesses first. Florida has also experienced 13 consecutive months of labor force increases with a growth of 42,000 over the month. Florida’s labor force growth represents a 6.1% increase over the year, which is significantly higher than the national rate of 0.9%. Florida’s unemployment rate, currently at 4.5%, also decreased by 0.1 percentage point from October 2021 rate of 4.6%.

In total, Florida has gained 1,162,700 private sector jobs since April 2020, which represents 93.5% of jobs lost during the pandemic that have been recovered. Florida continues to see significant increases in labor force, growing by 607,000 over the year as more Floridians are confident in returning to the labor force. Florida’s unemployment rate has lowered over the year, decreasing by 0.9 percentage point.

Data in the month of November indicates that there continue to be many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with more than 513,000 jobs posted online. 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 and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve employability by perfecting resume writing and interviewing skills, establishing career goals, and pursuing customized career training. These services are provided at no cost to job seekers.

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

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