Gov. Ron DeSantis Celebrates as State Workforce Hits 11.5 Million

Governor Ron DeSantis announced in a press release on Monday that Florida's labor force surpassed 11.5 million in January, coupled with strong gains in manufacturing where the state reached 430,800 jobs.

Ron DeSantis also revealed Florida's economy was stronger than previously estimated. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the state's labor force was undercounted by 162,000 workers.

“Florida continues to prove that leadership and conservative fiscal policies drive success,” DeSantis said. “We will keep the momentum going by insisting on reducing government spending, continuing to eliminate bureaucracy, and finding more tax reductions for Floridians.”

BLS revealed Florida added 113,600 jobs (+1.3%) over the year in January 2025. Since May 2020, the state's employers have grown their workforce in 54 of the past 57 months.

Specifically, Florida gained the most jobs in education and health services (7,200) followed by leisure and hospitality (6,100). Both sectors grew by 0.5% over the previous month.

Florida's private sector job growth rate of 1.3% also outpaced the national rate of 1.2% over the same period. In addition, the eelease noted the state's unemployment rate was below the national average for the 51st consecutive month.

“Under Governor DeSantis’ decisive leadership, Florida continues to generate wins,” Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly said.“These revised numbers demonstrate Florida’s unique resiliency and the strength and efficacy of Governor DeSantis’ approach to economic and workforce development—creating an environment that promotes future growth and builds confidence in job seekers and job creators.”

The release also offered job assistance for seekers through Employ Florida, CareerSource Florida, Apprentice Florida, Veterans Florida, Military Family Employment Advocacy Program, Military Spousal License Reciprocity Matrix, and Talent Pipeline Portal for Aerospace and Defense.

Moreover, it noted that 393,000 jobs were posted online in January.

Regional job reports are available for Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, Southwest Florida, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. January 2025 employment data is also available here.