Despite Hurricane Helene’s impact on Florida, the number of unemployment claims filed in the state surprisingly decreased last week.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported that 5,367 initial claims were filed in Florida during the week ending September 28th, down from 6,454 the previous week. This marks the lowest number of claims since early August, when Hurricane Debby threatened the state. Interestingly, both hurricanes made landfall in Taylor County.
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This unexpected dip in unemployment claims could be attributed to several factors. It’s possible that some individuals delayed filing claims due to the hurricane, while others may have found temporary employment related to storm recovery efforts.
However, it’s important to note that the state has averaged over 6,000 new claims weekly since the start of July. The Florida Department of Commerce will release September’s unemployment rate on October 18th, providing a clearer picture of the storm’s overall impact on the job market.
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Nationally, unemployment claims rose slightly last week, with an estimated 225,000 claims filed. The national unemployment rate held steady at 4.2% in August.
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