Published: December 27, 2018
Florida closed 2018 with its lowest unemployment rate in more than a decade, as the state’s jobless rate fell to 3.3% in November, marking the strongest employment level in 12 years, according to state officials.
The announcement came during the final weeks of Gov. Rick Scott’s administration before he left office to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate following his victory over Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson in the November 2018 election.
State officials reported that Florida’s private sector added approximately 23,000 jobs during November, continuing a years-long trend of employment growth across the state.
Since December 2010, Florida’s unemployment rate had declined by 7.5 percentage points, outpacing the national improvement over the same period. State leaders also noted that more than 1.67 million jobs had been created since the economic recovery began following the Great Recession.
Florida’s labor force also continued to expand. During 2017, more than 116,000 people entered the state’s workforce, representing annual growth of approximately 1.1%, according to state employment figures.
Scott credited Florida’s economic policies for the state’s performance, noting that private-sector job growth had exceeded the national average during 79 of the previous 80 months. The only exception occurred in September 2017, when Hurricane Irma temporarily disrupted economic activity across the state.
As he prepared to leave the Governor’s Mansion, Scott said he intended to continue focusing on issues including job creation, education, and public safety during his service in the U.S. Senate.
Scott was succeeded by Republican Ron DeSantis, who defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum in one of the nation’s most closely watched gubernatorial races in 2018.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Dec. 27, 2018, and has been updated for clarity and archival purposes.
