Governor DeSantis Announces Pensacola Area Unemployment Rate Drops to 2.3 Percent Over the Year in December 2022

Pensacola, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Pensacola area unemployment rate dropped to 2.3 percent over the year in December 2022, down 0.5 percentage point from 2.8 percent reported in December 2021.

The Pensacola area’s private sector employment increased by 3.2 percent over the year in December 2022, adding 5,300 jobs. The Pensacola area labor force increased by 5,337 over the year, a 2.3 percent increase.

The industries gaining the most jobs over the year were education and health services, increasing by 1,700 jobs; and leisure and hospitality, increasing by 1,200 jobs.

December 2022 marks the second month in 2022 that Florida reached a 2.5 percent unemployment rate, a historic low last reached in 2006.  Florida’s private sector employment increased by 425,800 jobs over the year in December 2022 (+5.3 percent), two full percentage points faster than the national over-the-year growth rate of 3.3 percent. In December 2022, Florida’s private sector employment increased by 18,000 over the month (+0.2 percentage point). Florida’s labor force grew by 3.5 percent over the year in December 2022, faster than the national growth rate of 1.6 percent over the same time period.

Florida’s population increased to 22.2 million in 2022, maintaining the state’s status as the third largest in the nation behind California and Texas. Idaho had the second highest growth rate among all states at +1.8 percent followed by South Carolina (+1.7%) and Texas (+1.6%). New York, California, and Illinois are among states that experienced negative growth in 2022, with growth rates of -0.9%, -0.3%, and -0.8%, respectively. 

Data in the month of December continues to indicate there are many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with more than 442,000 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 December 2022 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases. Visit Florida Insight for more information on labor market and economic data.         

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