Governor DeSantis Announces the Jacksonville Area February 2022 Labor Force Increased by 3.9% Over the Year

Jacksonville, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Jacksonville area unemployment rate was 2.8% in February 2022, down 2.0 percentage points from the rate of  4.8% in February 2021. The Jacksonville area labor force increased by 3.9% over the year, adding 30,702 people to the workforce. In February 2022, the Jacksonville metro area led all metro areas throughout the state in job gains over the year in construction with 4,300 jobs added. 

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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