Latest Headlines
- Community Health Northwest Florida Targeted In Cyberattack
- Walnut Hill Convicted Felon Facing Weapons Charge In Atmore
- One Injured In Highway 29 Crash Near Roberts Road
- Softball Team Remembers Teammate Killed In Pace Wreck
- Wanted Flomaton Man Arrested On Drug Charges After Allegedly Breaking Into Home While Fleeing Police
- It’s Easy To Recycle Your Wrapping Paper And Boxes
- Escambia Deputies Seek Christmas Day Attempted Homicide Suspect
- Escambia County Again Seeking Applicants For Escambia Children’s Trust
- Ice Flyers Get Rewarding Win Against Macon Mayhem
- ECFR Says McDavid Mobile Home Fire Was Sparked By Trash Fire; Firefighters Respond To Ascend
Escambia County Private Sector Employment Up 4.2% Over The Year
April 22, 2023
The Escambia County unemployment rate held steady last month, according to data released Friday by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
The area’s private sector employment grew 4.2 percent (+6,800 jobs) over the year in March 2023. The industries gaining the most jobs were education and health services, increasing by 2,200 jobs, and leisure and hospitality, increasing by 2,100 jobs.
The unemployment rate in the Pensacola metro area was 2.6 percent in March 2023, unchanged from February and a 0.3 percentage point decrease from 2.9 percent a year ago in March 2022. The Pensacola area labor force increased by 8,120 over the year, a 3.5 percent increase.
In March 2023, Florida’s unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the third consecutive month, which is 0.9 percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.5 percent. Florida’s labor force climbed by 250,000 (+2.3 percent) over the year and the unemployment rate has remained lower than the nation’s for 29 consecutive months.
Comments
5 Responses to “Escambia County Private Sector Employment Up 4.2% Over The Year”
@Anne
…you realize how much cost of living has increased over the past 20 years, right?
$8/hour might have been a living wage back in the 80s, but now? That isn’t even $17k/year. Unless your customers are all tipping REALLY well, you aren’t going to be making enough money to afford shelter, food, water, toiletries, or any of the other basics you need to survive.
If my job isn’t paying me enough to live, then why would I waste my time working for them?
@ Reality Check…
Friends with restaurants offer MORE than the required Minimum Wage for “Tipped Employees” which, in Florida, for 2023 is $7.98 / hour.
They also get break times and free meals while working.
Those figures are not so good news when it comes to inflation and interest rates.
And if leisure and hospitality are impacted by a recession, that won’t be good news for Florida, given its dependence on tourist dollars for general revenue.
@Anne, what are you friends with restaurants offering for pay? I bet it’s peanuts….
If I go to a car dealer and off to pay $5k for a brand new car worth $30k, I don’t get to turn around and say “I guess no one wants to sell cars anymore” when they refuse to sell me this vehicle for less than what it’s worth. This holds true with individuals in the workforce. No one wants to work for less than what they’re worth.
Well that’s sure a lot of numbers that keep somebody and a whole state department employed.
What some of my friends in the Private Sector with restaurants really want to know is WHY don’t some of these “unemployed-looking-for-work” actually Want to Work”
Able people come by the places, get interviewed, agree to terms and are ready to start the following day then Never Show Up and don’t even call to say, Not for Me.
Puzzling and frustrating for those small business owners needing workers and unable to secure them.