Metro Gainesville set record highs in employment, jobs and labor force in November, as unemployment insurance claims increased, state labor officials said Thursday.
"This is a great jobs report," State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said. "All the significant numbers are trending in the right direction. In fact, records are being set. This is further proof of our growing, dynamic economy."
Metro Gainesville posted a record-high 90,800 jobs in November, up by 500 from a previous high of 90,300 in October. The job growth came in retail trade and the goods-producing sector such as manufacturing and construction.
Since November 2016, metro Gainesville has posted 2,000 new jobs, a 2.3 percent growth rate.
That compares with the state job growth rate of 1.9 percent and the national rate of 1.4 percent. Over-the-year job growth has come in the private service industries, state government, and the goods-producing sector.
The number of employed residents rose by 197 to a record-high 96,510 in metro Gainesville. From November a year ago, the number of employed residents was up by 2,897.
The area’s labor force, which includes the total number of residents with jobs and those unemployed but looking for work, was up by 251 in November. The labor force, a record-high 100,133, is up by 2,515 since November 2016.
Unemployment claims in metro Gainesville were up by 19 percent to 393. Claims were up in manufacturing. When compared to last November, claims were down by 25 percent from 526.
The November unemployment rate, at 3.6 percent, was unchanged from October. Last November, the rate was 4.1 percent.
