By News Service of Florida
After Dania Beach-based Spirit Airlines grounded operations earlier this month, jobless claims in Florida leapt to the highest total for a single week since last June.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 7,968 initial unemployment applications were filed last week, up from a revised count of 5,573 for the week ending May 2.
The jump was expected, as Spirit notified the state Department of Commerce on May 2 that 4,853 employees in Broward, Miami-Dade and Orange counties were being let go because the airline struggled with soaring jet fuel prices resulting from the war in Iran. The layoffs were to occur between May 2 and May 13.
With the recent estimate, the weekly average for first-time claims in Florida this year is now 5,879. A week ago, that average was 5,756.
The last time the weekly number topped the recent estimate was the week ending June 2, 2025, when 8,786 claims were filed after a Memorial Day holiday-shortened week.
Nationally, 211,000 claims were filed last week, up from 199,000 the week ending May 2.