St. Johns County’s unemployment rate increased in June as more people entered the job market.
While the rate rose to 4% in June from 3.2% in May, 2,032 more residents are now in the labor market, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s monthly release.
The jobless number increased by 1,189 (5,725 in June from 4,736 in May). Employers added 843 more jobs — 137,217 in June compared to 136,374 in May.
Even with the increase in the unemployment rate, St. Johns County is still the second-lowest in the state behind Monroe at 3.5%. It was at 3.1% in May.
Previous coverage:Florida unemployment rate inches up to 4.8% in April as people slowly return to workforce
In the CareerSource Northeast Florida Region — which includes Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties — the jobless rate was at 5.1% for June. It was 8.9% in June 2020. In the region, the leisure and hospitality industry added 9,500 jobs and the mining,
logging and construction sector added 3,300 jobs in the past 12 months.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June was 5%, up from 4.9% in May.
In the state, leisure and hospitality added 146,500 jobs in the past 12 months.
In the news release, FDEO attributed the rise in unemployment to the increase of 83,000 in the labor force since May.
To help get people hired, RecruitMilitary and the DAV will host the Eastern Region Virtual Career Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 20. This free virtual hiring event is open for registration to all transitioning members of the military, veterans, military spouses and dependents. For information, visit recruitmilitary.careereco.com and click on “virtual events” at the top of the page.
Area jobless in June
St. Johns 4%
Clay 4.6%
Duval 5.4%
Flagler 6%
Putnam 7.6%
