Numbers of first-time unemployment claims in Florida continue to see little change, as a new report indicates many small-business owners remain worried about inflation.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 6,021 initial unemployment applications were filed last week in Florida, down from a revised count of 6,659 during the week that ended July 29 and little higher than the average of 5,872 weekly claims since the start of the year.
Nationally, an estimated 248,000 claims were filed last week, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor on Thursday released data showing that the consumer price index increased 3.2 percent in July from a year earlier and 0.2 percent from June.
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The uptick came after the National Federation of Independent Business, which represents small businesses, released a report Tuesday that showed business owners had a slight increase in optimism from June to July.
The NFIB also said one in five business owners view inflation as their most pressing issue. NFIB also reported that 61 percent of business owners hired people or tried to hire in July, up slightly from June.
However, among those business owners, 92 percent reported few or no qualified applicants, NFIB said. In Florida, the unemployment rate has held at 2.6 percent since the start of the year.
The state Department of Commerce will release a July unemployment report on Aug. 18.
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