By News Service of Florida
For a second consecutive week, Florida saw an increase in first-time jobless claims.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 6,146 initial unemployment applications were filed last week in Florida, up from 5,584 the week ending April 4 and 5,110 the week ending March 28.
The increase comes between releases of monthly unemployment reports from the state Department of Commerce.
On April 8, the department’s monthly report for January showed the unemployment rate rising from 4.3 percent to 4.5 percent. The numbers reflect mid-January conditions, with an estimated 499,000 people qualified as out of work from a labor force of 11.124 million.
The February numbers are due Friday.
The estimated claims filed last week mark the largest for a week in the state since mid-January.
Nationally, 207,000 first-time jobless claims were filed last week. The number is down from a revised count of 218,000 for the week ending on April 4. The national unemployment rate stands at 4.3 percent, reflecting mid-March conditions.