Friday March 29th, 2024 4:22AM

Gainesville metro unemployment, jobless rates down for August

The unemployment rate in the Gainesville metro dropped in August and the jobless rate for the month was also down.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler released the numbers Thursday morning.

Butler said metro Gainesville set a record in August for total jobs, reaching 90,000 for the first time.

The unemployment rate was 4 percent, down from 4.2 percent in July. Butler said a decline of 182 in the labor force contributed to the decline in the monthly rate which can be attributed to school age workers returning to their educational institutions. 

The August 2016 rate was 4.8 percent.

“The August numbers show metro Gainesville’s economy and outlook for employment remains healthy,” said Butler.

From July to August, metro Gainesville gained 800 jobs, which increased the total number of jobs to 90,000. Since August 2016, metro Gainesville has gained 2,700 jobs, a 3.1 percent growth rate.

The top monthly job growth came in government, mostly in the public schools. 

There are 3,828 more metro Gainesville residents employed now than in August 2016.

At the same time, unemployment claims were down by 6.3 percent to 462 – another good sign for metro Gainesville’s economy, Butler said. Claims were down in manufacturing. Claims were down by 7.8 percent from August 2016.

Additional data can be accessed online.

 

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