TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, FloridaCommerce announced Florida’s economy remains strong, attracting more workers to the labor force. In April, Florida added 148,000 more people to the labor force at an over-the-year growth rate of 1.4 percent, faster than the national growth rate of 0.8 percent.

"Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ investments in workforce education, infrastructure and Florida’s overall financial readiness, Florida is now a state with significant growth in high wage, high demand, high tech and manufacturing jobs, even compared to just five years ago," said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “Florida’s private sector job growth and business growth is reflective of our state increasingly meeting the needs of job creators in numerous high growth, high demand sectors, giving Florida families tremendous opportunities to elevate themselves and their families.”

Florida’s private sector jobs increased by 2.5 percent (+210,900) over the year compared to the national rate of 1.6 percent over the same time period. In April 2024 the trade, transportation, and utilities sector gained the most jobs among all major industries, adding 14,900 jobs (+0.7 percent) from March 2024, followed by professional and business services, adding 11,800 jobs (+0.7 percent).

Job creators continue to demonstrate great confidence in Florida’s economic ecosystem through their investments, creating high-skill, high-wage jobs that make Florida a more competitive state to live and work in. Florida offers hundreds of workforce education and workforce development opportunities for job seekers to gain the skills they need to compete in such an elevated and more competitive job market, ensuring economic resiliency and success for generations of Floridians to come.

Florida’s statewide unemployment rate was 3.3 percent in April 2024, 0.6 percentage point below the national rate of 3.9 percent. Florida’s unemployment rate has remained below the national rate for 42 consecutive months. Under Governor Ron DeSantis’ leadership, Florida has made strategic investments in workforce development that have resulted in Florida ranking:

• Florida’s Labor Exchange Marketplace, Employ Florida, connects job seekers to employment, training and education, and also job creators to skilled talent.
• CareerSource Florida’s network local career centers offer tailored career counseling, skills assessments, resume assistance and job placement support.

• Veterans Florida works to help military veterans transition to civilian life – connecting veterans with employers who are eager to hire veterans for jobs that align with the skills their gained serving in the military.
• The Military Family Employment Advocacy Program delivers priority workforce services to active-duty military spouses and family members through Military Family Employment Advocates located in local career centers throughout Florida.
• $5,000 bonuses are available to in state and out-of-state law enforcement recruits through the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program, a first-of-its-kind program administered by FloridaCommerce to attract quality candidates to join Florida law enforcement agencies in protecting and serving their local communities.

Data in the month of April continues to indicate there are many job opportunities available for every Floridian who wants to work, with more than 421,000 jobs posted online. Floridians in search of work and new job opportunities can utilize the CareerSource Florida network for help. Floridians can find guidance on how to register with Employ Florida and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve their 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 April 2024 jobs reports by region, please see below:

To view April 2024 employment data, visit: www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.

Visit Florida Insight for more information on labor market and economic data. Additionally, FloridaCommerce has provided a video to assist users in explaining the data provided through Florida Insight.

###