Local Unemployment Numbers Rise; Florida Holds Steady

July 21, 2012

The latest job numbers released Friday showed a jump in unemployment  in the three-county North Escambia area.

Escambia County’s unemployment rate increased from 8.4 percent in May to 8.7 percent in June.  There were 653 more reported unemployed  during the period, for a total Escambia County unemployment of 12,226 people. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 10.3 percent.

Santa Rosa County unemployment increased from 7.6 percent in May to 8.3 percent in June. Santa Rosa County had a total of 6,063 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 9.7 percent.

In Escambia County, Alabama, unemployment jumped from 9.1 percent in May to 10.6 percent in June. That represented 1,589  people unemployed in the county during the month. The year-ago rate was 11.6 percent.

The jobless numbers released by Florida and Alabama do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are no longer reported as unemployed.

Florida’s June jobless rate remained unchanged from May at 8.6 percent but 2.1 percentage points lower than June 2011, the Department of Economic Opportunity reported Friday.

Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, at 7.8 percent in June, was up from May’s rate of 7.4 percent and was below the year-ago rate of 9.3 percent.

Comments

11 Responses to “Local Unemployment Numbers Rise; Florida Holds Steady”

  1. William on July 23rd, 2012 9:37 am

    >>>Just the other day the unemployment rate was down. This week its up. Where are the figures coming from

    I don’t know where you got your information “just the other day”. The numbers in this story are the official numbers released monthly by the states. We run their numbers (as they are the official state figures) once per month.

  2. norman on July 23rd, 2012 9:35 am

    Just the other day the unemployment rate was down. This week its up. Where are the figures coming from? Who are we to believe? Either the numbers are up or down. I doubt the numbrs fluctuate that much over a short period of time.

  3. Everett on July 23rd, 2012 6:21 am

    Dont forget we are the “Upside of Florida”

  4. 429SCJ on July 23rd, 2012 5:44 am

    With each passing day more people in America slip below the poverty level. I have to ask myself the question what will happen when the government is unable to furnish any more food stamps, welware, SSBs, or pensions?

    I find it both amusing and scary that the word recession, is being used to catagorize
    that which soon can no longer be addressed by anything other than what it has truly become, a depression.

    If history has proved anything true it is when you get enough hungry people, you will have a change in government.

  5. ABC on July 22nd, 2012 8:29 pm

    Escambia County is still living in the 50s, they have denied deals for corporations to come in and provide good jobs for folks..heck the county wouldnt even pave Becks rod for a beer plant in the 80s, they havent changed, but they would use our money to create a industrial park off of hwy 29 it has sat with unfilled lots for years,,,,,,,,, our naval base has had sections sent to other parts of the country, the Good Ole boys just wanted to keep this a place for tourism and dependent on the navy and look what they have done, no one has the money to “tour” here…… they dragged their feet on the cruise ship using our docks so ala. got them….. How many other companys have they denied.? back in the early 60s I bet that Pensacola would surpass Mobile in advancing and growth, Ha that is a laugh…….. Parts of our city are becoming horrible.

    It is amazing to me that we elect folks who of they ran their bank accounts like they have run this county they wouldnt have had the cash to survive.

    How many tourists come in from the Beach to actually spend a dollar in Pensacola? Not many…………Im beginning to believe that “when you keep the populace poor, you have more power, theory has been alive and well in escambia county….

  6. Hobby on July 22nd, 2012 7:57 am

    Just hold on all that GOP Tea Party big business trickle down money is in the snail mail for all those new part time no benefit jobs. It will trickle down soon just hold on. You may not be counted on the unemployment rate because your not eligible and run out of benifits but were thinking abou you. You bet ya as Sara would say. Those new jobs will be there as soon as we can get those old fuddy Demos out of the senate just hold on. They keep stopping our progress.

  7. Jane on July 22nd, 2012 6:45 am

    We need real jobs, not seasonal tourism jobs, and not minimum wage jobs. Why do you think the people who graduate from college leave the area for good jobs and the rest stay here working for minimum wage? Nothing has changed in this area in over 30 years because the County Commissioners haven’t made any changes in how they view the businesses here. And driving through the P’cola area is depressing…many homes/businesses have become run down. Why would tourists want to come here?

  8. David Huie Green on July 21st, 2012 4:01 pm

    CONSIDERING:
    “I am guessing the republican theory of cut business and corporate taxes and the jobs will come ain’t working..”

    Or perhaps it’s like I’ve been told after President Obama’s stimulus package did not reduce economic problems, that it would have been far worse had he not done it.

    David considering assorted forms of Voodoo Economics

  9. Kathy on July 21st, 2012 12:58 pm

    I am guessing the republican theory of cut business and corporate taxes and the jobs will come ain’t working.. Looks like Scott was wrong doesn’t it? He and his party has cut the corporate and business tax twice with no improvement. in employment. Now he is in the UK thinking he is drumming up business. Real bright fella he is.

  10. MIKE O. on July 21st, 2012 10:29 am

    Tourism = Seasonal = Temp Jobs = Unemployment. There are alot of jobs available here in Pensacola, but they are more for people with less education and/or young kids still in high school or college. These are jobs that one can not support a family, buy a new vehicle, buy a new home, heck, even afford rent without having a roommate. There are not alot of career jobs or long-term jobs in our area to keep people here. How is one supposed to react to being told ‘you are over qualified to work here’? I guess one can ever be over qualified to hold a sign at the off-ramp.

  11. PSU1Earl on July 21st, 2012 7:53 am

    Unemplyment continues to grow here in Escambia county… We have record crowds at the beach, hoteliers, bars, resturants are making record profits and the BOCC gives them a record payout in tax dollars to advertise for more of the same… when do these job creators start creating jobs and stop just collecting up profit? Even the minimum wage, no benefit, seasonal jobs they do dole out are too much to ask from them? Maybe tourism isn’t the answer? DUH!!