[ffire]

How does the current unemployment rate in FLorida compare with the rest of the USA.

How bad is it?

What are the people without jobs doing?

Is there an end in sight?

[TatersFan]

We're approaching 10% last I heard, so probably one of the worst I would guess.

[TriMT7]

It's up there. It's currently 9.5% in Florida, which is .6% over the national average .... very close to Georgia's (9.2%), but thankfully still not as bad as TN (9.9%), NC (10.9%) and SC (11.5%) California (11.5%) or Nevada (10.5%), however.


People without jobs are either on unemployment benefits rolls, working jobs they are over-qualified for at the present time, or were and are in fields that contributed to the rise in unemployment (construction and real estate), and are leaving FL for places like Texas, where there are still construction jobs (for now).

[ffire]

So it does seem to be quite universal at the moment. Even here people are taking whatever jobs they can get even if it means moving.

I guess these times mean you just do whatever you have to to get by until it turns around.

[Jammie]

TriM, do you have a link to the site you got that info from? I haven't seen the latest unemployment stats. All I've seen is that nationally we went from 8.5% to 8.9%

FFire, some of the states with the lowest unemployment rates WERE No. Dak., Wyoming, So. Dak., Tx, and I believe Utah was lower, too.

Our unemployment rate ( So. Dak) WAS hovering around 5%, but that was up since we'd previously been around 3%. We had a couple cities that were barely above 2%, but that, too has changed this past year.

They are now saying that the worst of the recession is over and we should start seeing the recovery the end of this year or early next year.

Also, different areas of states have different unemployment rates. In Fla., Ocala has a very high UE rate while other areas were doing a bit better. I believe I just read that Ocala hit 12%. Is that correct?

[TriMT7]

Jammie, google makes it easy now (I guess they've been getting so many inquiries). All you do is google, " (STATE) unemployment rate," and a graph and number pops up.

[Slowcala]

I know in Marion County it as more than 12% with only one other county higher than us. But, I tend to see the glass half full . . . 88% still have a job.

Interesting fact, the Great Depression unemployment rate barely hit 30% in 1932. There were still 70% employed at that time.

[TriMT7]

I'm still waiting to see if "green jobs" are forthcoming, as promised.

[lukeb321]

Where does your state rank? - CNNMoney.com

Its pretty universal.

[psouth]

The unemployment rate is always much much higher than the percentages show. Many people are not counted such as those who exhausted unemployment benefits, have given up looking for work, are working part time for minimum wage somewhere, the severely underemployed, people who are working under the tabel somewhere, many service and labor type jobs, etc. They say the real figure for the whole country is higher than 15% in reality. Probably closer to 20%.

You can't get by in Florida with just any job nowadays. You have to make big money. It wasn't like this just a few years ago. Anyone could have come to Florida and made a life for themselves. The same ones who think they still can are the ones still coming besides all the illegals and third worlders.

This state has to pull itself up by its rusty bootstraps and change its image. Politicians should not be selling Florida as just the tourist and construction and retirement state any longer. They should be putting more money into education and sell the state as being good for business and employees alike. Start attracting companies. I don't think they know how to though.