Perhaps Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) should modify his campaign slogan to "Keep Florida Free and Thriving." A recent economic data update shows October is Florida's 30th month straight in job creation, even when accounting for Hurricane Ian. Not only that, but Florida remains a leader in job growth and in reducing unemployment levels.
By the numbers, October saw 36,000 new reported jobs in Florida, with 35,000 in the private sector alone. The latter number of 35,000 in the private sector is double the national average and is the 19th month straight Florida leads in private sector growth. This further translates into private sector employment rising by 5.6% across the year, almost two points higher than the national average of 4 percent.
The private industries which saw the most growth in October were, in order: leisure and hospitality, education and health, and lastly trades, utilities, and transportation.
These numbers look especially good when taking into account that compared to Florida, the country's labor force is shrinking. From October 2021 to October 2022, Florida saw a 3.2% increase in its labor force, compared to 1.9% nationwide. Thus as of October 2022, Florida has an overall unemployment rate of 2.7%, while the national unemployment rate is 3.7%.
This is even taking Hurricane Ian into account, which bumped up Florida's number up by 0.2 points. Nonetheless, DeSantis is quoted as saying, "Florida’s economic resiliency is unmatched in the country – no other state could withstand the direct impact of a Category 4 hurricane and continue to grow jobs in the same month," says DeSantis, adding that "we have made record investments in our infrastructure and workforce while building a record budget surplus and providing record tax reduction for Floridians."
Such an achievement is the subject of a recent tweet by DeSantis, which succinctly reads, "even with Hurricane Ian hitting our state, October marked the 30th consecutive month of job growth in Florida."
Even with Hurricane Ian hitting our state, October marked the 30th consecutive month of job growth in Florida. pic.twitter.com/uQkr8ANege
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 18, 2022
Perhaps it is no surprise that so many, especially Californians, are continuing to move to Florida.
