Escambia County Unemployment Rate On The Upswing

August 22, 2020

The local unemployment rate locally in Escambia County declined in June but increased in July, according to data released Friday.

The unemployment rate in Escambia County was 9.2% in July, up from 7.9% in June. That represents 13,167 people out of work out of a county workforce of 142,520. One year ago, Escambia County’s unemployment rate was just 3.5%, or 5,126 people.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced the Pensacola area private-sector employment decreased by 7,100 jobs (-4.5%) over the year.  The industry losing the most jobs over the year was leisure and hospitality (-3,100 jobs).  Construction was the only major industry that gained jobs over the year in July 2020 (+100 jobs).

Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 11.3 percent in July 2020, up 1.0 percentage point from  the  revised  June  2020  rate,  and  up  8.2  percentage  points  from  a  year  ago.  There  were  1,125,000  jobless  Floridians out of a labor force of 9,975,000.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in July.

Comments

12 Responses to “Escambia County Unemployment Rate On The Upswing”

  1. Steve on September 6th, 2020 5:26 pm

    I can not find reliable workers. Everyone wants a job but people today have no work ethic. They apply work for a couple of weeks then quit. Many do not show up for interviews.

    We pay real good money and the work is not hard. To many government give aways keeping people from working.

  2. JOHN on August 24th, 2020 6:38 pm

    The county commissioners don’t want good paying jobs in Escambia County, they want tourism.

  3. Bob on August 24th, 2020 6:32 pm

    Stumpknocker, you’ve been working two jobs for over 40 years just to keep a roof over your head, continuing to pay taxes the whole time that were used to bail out multi-billion dollar corporations instead of protecting you and your family?

    You definitely have a right to be upset! However, I’d suggest directing it at the people who looted our government during a pandemic rather than the people who lost their job due to a mismanaged crisis that are now days away from homelessness.

  4. Stumpknocker on August 24th, 2020 1:33 pm

    If my job didn’t pay what I wanted or could live on, I simply went out and got a second job and have for over 40 years now. But I never turned down work or sat at the house, nor have I ever been fired or used any type of government assistance, I’ve always just worked a little harder. Kinda simple when you think about it.

  5. Nancy Beaupre on August 23rd, 2020 8:21 pm

    Why hasn’t florida applied for extra unemployment from federal government?

  6. Tom on August 23rd, 2020 6:43 am

    (JC) I totally agree with you, considering the high unemployment nationwide plus the pandemic and poor economic situation of so many people…I have a very good suspicion that the stock market is either extremely over valued and due for a correction or more likely its based on a foundation of corruption similar 2008 when lenders were giving houses without doing thorough credit and back ground checks. In closing I suspect a stock market crash any day from now til November. When peoples cars start getting reposed in mass and are getting evicted for failure to pay mortgage its gonna be total chaos.

  7. Amparo on August 22nd, 2020 5:32 pm

    Tell to the governator Desantis to answer to Fema for the estimuls we need

  8. JC on August 22nd, 2020 1:13 pm

    Housing market is Booming and the stock market is at all time highs! This doesn’t make any sense anymore??

  9. Tom on August 22nd, 2020 10:25 am

    (Caraway) Who does not want to work? My job and field straight up told me its gonna be 2021 before the even look to add anything more than a bare bones crew. You are mistaken Ive had offers sure but. But I sure cant pay a mortgage and car payment etc on minimum wage can I? The (good) employers are laying more people off than hiring from what I see daily.

  10. Bill on August 22nd, 2020 10:19 am

    If a business is hiring and no one is taking the job it’s because they’re not offering a living wage.

  11. Thomas Paine on August 22nd, 2020 9:22 am

    @Caraway
    Who are “they”?

    Have you noticed there’s been a global pandemic for the past few months?

  12. Caraway on August 22nd, 2020 8:06 am

    Because they don’t want to work. Plenty of places are hiring and the biggest lines you see are at the unemployment office.