Governor DeSantis Announces the West Palm Beach Metro Area Labor Force Up 3.5 Percent Over the Year in February 2022

West Palm Beach, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the West Palm Beach area labor force in February 2022 grew by 25,118 over the year, a 3.5% increase. The West Palm Beach area unemployment rate dropped to 3.0% in February 2022, down from 5.1% reported in February 2021. The West Palm Beach metro area added 32,000 new private sector jobs over the year, a 5.7% increase. In the West Palm Beach area, the industry gaining the most jobs over the year was leisure and hospitality, increasing by 11,100 jobs.

Florida businesses continue to have robust employment opportunities, a benefit of a competitive and energized workforce. In February 2022, the state’s total private sector employment increased by 52,000 jobs, which is an increase of 0.6 percent over the month. There were 8,132,300 private sector jobs statewide in February 2022, an increase of 525,200 jobs, or 6.9 percent, over the year. The national over-the-year rate of increase was 5.2 percent in February 2022. As of February 2022, Florida employers have added jobs for 22 consecutive months since May 2020. Florida’s labor force also reached 10,471,000, increasing by 324,000, or 3.2% over the year.

Data in the month of February indicates that there continue to be many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with nearly 452,000 jobs posted online. Floridians in search of work and new job opportunities are encouraged to turn to 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 statewide February 2022 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.  

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