By News Service of Florida
First-time jobless claims declined for a third consecutive week in Florida.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimated 4,936 initial unemployment applications were filed last week in Florida, down from a revised count of 5,398 the week ending March 21. The state drew 5,450 claims the week ending March 14 after jumping from 5,084 the week ending Feb. 28 to 5,641 the week ending March 7.
Since the start of the year, Florida has averaged 5,740 claims a week, with the unemployment rate standing at 4.3 percent. The current jobless rate reflects mid-December conditions. The January figures are scheduled to be released on April 8, with the February numbers out on April 17.
Nationally, with the jobless rate at 4.4 percent, 202,000 claims were filed last week, down from an unrevised count of 211,000 for the week ending March 21.