August jobs report: Florida unemployment at 4 percent

Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in August, down 0.1 percent from July, and down 0.9 percent from a year ago, according to a new state report Friday. The state counted 408,000 jobless Floridians, out of a labor force of 10,095,000. The U.S. jobless rate was 4.4 percent in August.

In Metro Orlando, the jobless rate was reported at 3.8 percent, which was not seasonally adjusted. That’s down from 4 percent last month and 4.7 percent a year ago. After statisticians adjust the rate for seasonal hiring, it could be lower.

Central Florida added the most jobs in any metro area, in terms of sheer numbers (40,000 jobs, up 3.3 percent), followed by the Tampa region (39,600 jobs, up 3.1 percent).

As typical for the last year, Orlando job growth was dominated by the lower-paying leisure and hospitality sector with 11,600 new jobs, especially restaurant jobs; followed distantly by financial activities with 3,500 new jobs; and manufacturing with 2,600 new jobs. But Orlando also remained the second-highest metro area in demand for highskill, high-wage STEM occupations with 9,659 openings, according to state data.

Here are local county rates, with August numbers not adjusted:

Seminole County clocked in with one of the lowest unemployment rates in recent years for the Orlando region, at 3.6 percent — again, that is not seasonally adjusted. That was down from 3.8 percent in July, and down from 4.5 percent a year ago.

Osceola County had the highest jobless rate in the Orlando metro, as usual, at 4.3 percent in August, down from 4.5 percent a month ago and down from 5.2 percent a year ago.

Orange County’s rate for August was 3.7 percent, down from 3.9 percent a month ago, and down from 4.6 percent a year ago.

Lake County’s August rate was 4.1 percent, down from 4.2 percent a month ago, and down from 5 percent a year ago.