The Florida job market experienced a pause in its upward trend in May, with the unemployment rate remaining unchanged at 4.8%. This figure, released by the Department of Commerce marks the first time since June 2026 that the rate did not increase, having previously held steady at 3.7% from June to.
Nationally, the unemployment rate also remained stable at 4.3% from April to May. However, the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) reported that small business hiring was essentially flat in May, reflecting ongoing challenges in the job market.
Small Businesses Face Hiring Challenges
The NFIB highlighted that Florida’s small businesses are grappling with increased costs across various operations, with rising labor costs being a primary concern. According to Bill Herrle executive director of NFIB Florida small business hiring stalled in May as owners continue to struggle with finding qualified workers.
The latest state figures indicate that approximately 531,000 Floridians are unemployed out of a workforce of 11.45 million. While both numbers are slightly down from April, the number of unemployed individuals has grown by 118,000 over the past year. Additionally, the private sector added only 20,200 jobs in the last 12 months, with a decline of 2,200 private sector jobs from April to May.
Sector-Specific Job Growth and Declines
The report estimated that jobs in the education and health services sector grew by 31,400 over the past year, driven by a projected 25,800 new jobs in health care and social assistance. Professional and business services added 17,600 jobs, followed by 5,300 in leisure and hospitality-related jobs.
These gains were partially offset by declines in other sectors. Financial activities saw a drop of 15,500 positions, government workers decreased by 9,200, and trade, transportation, and utilities saw a reduction of 6,900 jobs. Additionally, construction jobs decreased by 2,900, and manufacturing dropped 500 positions over the year.
Regional Unemployment Rates
South Florida continues to have the lowest unemployment rate, with the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro area at 3.6%, followed by the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford region at 4.4%. The Tampa-St. PetersburgPanama City and Naples regions each had an unemployment rate of 4.5%.
The MelbourneJacksonville and Sarasota regions each had a rate of 4.7%. Pensacola was at 4.8%, followed by Tallahassee at 4.9%, Daytona Beach at 5.2%, and Gainesville at 5.3%. Lakeland had a rate of 5.5%. At the other end of the spectrum, the Wildwood area, which includes The Villages had the highest unemployment rate at 7.6%, followed by Homosassa Springs at 6.4% and Sebring at 6.2%.
