FloridaCommerce Announces Florida’s Labor Force Continues to Thrive, Outpacing the Nation for 30 Consecutive Months

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —  Today, FloridaCommerce announced that Florida’s labor force continues to thrive, with 350,000 more people entering the labor force at an annual growth rate of 3.2 percent over the year, faster than the national growth rate of 2.3 percent. Florida continues to outpace the nation in labor force growth for the 30th consecutive month. Florida’s private sector employment increased by 0.3 percent (+28,300 jobs) over the month in November 2023. Florida’s unemployment rate was 2.9 percent in November 2023, 0.8 percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent and marking the 37th consecutive month Florida’s unemployment rate has remained below the nation’s.

This month, Lightcast released the 2023 Talent Attraction Scorecard, ranking Florida as the #1 state in the nation for attracting and developing a talented workforce for the second year in a row. The Talent Attraction Scorecard evaluates states based on job growth, education attainment, regional competitiveness and migration data.

“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida’s economy is thriving because of key workforce and industry investments in manufacturing, aerospace and aviation, military and defense, and several research and development sectors,” said Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “These investments are driving job growth, new business formations for small and large businesses, 6 consecutive months of construction job growth, and a record pace for commercial and tourism related visitation. Florida’s success is not an accident but rather an intentional steadfast commitment to smart policies and strategic initiatives that support key verticals.”

2023 Economic and Workforce Development Highlights:

• #1 in talent attraction for the second year in a row (Lightcast)
• #3 in K-12 achievement (Education Week’s Quality Counts)
• 14th largest global economy – bigger than those of The Netherlands & Mexico (Fla. Chamber)
• #1 for entrepreneurship (The Digital Project Manager)
• Florida has outpaced the nation in real GDP growth for 10 consecutive quarters beginning in Q1 2021.
• Closing in on 140 million visitors annually
• AAA credit rating

Florida’s private sector over-the-year job growth rate has exceeded the nation’s for 32 consecutive months at 2.9 percent (+241,800 jobs) compared to 1.6 percent nationally. 
In November 2023, the education and health services sector gained the most jobs among all major industries, adding 11,800 jobs from the previous month, followed by construction, adding 6,300 jobs. 

Floridians in search of work and new job opportunities are encouraged to turn to the CareerSource Florida network for help. Floridians can find guidance on how to register with Employ Florida  and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve their employability by perfecting resume writing and interviewing skills, establishing career goals and pursuing customized career training. These services are provided at no cost to job seekers. To view the November 2023 jobs reports by region, please see below: 

To view the November 2023 employment data, visit: www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases. 
 
Visit Florida Insight for more information on labor market and economic data. Additionally, the Department has provided a video to assist users in explaining the data provided through  Florida Insight.