Central Florida’s Unemployment Rate At 5.4% for May 2021, 0.5 Percentage Point Higher than the State

Central Florida’s Unemployment Rate At 5.4% for May 2021, 0.5 Percentage Point Higher than the State

Orlando, Fla.,– The unemployment rate in the CareerSource Central Florida (CSCF) region (Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Sumter counties) was 5.4% in May 2021, which was higher than the state’s rate of 4.9%. This rate was 17.0 percentage points lower than the region’s rate of 22.4% during the same timeframe last year. The labor force was 1,339,727, down 39,216 (-2.8) over the year. There were 72,772 unemployed residents in the region.

Unemployment Rates

Central Florida’s Lowest Unemployment Rates:

• Seminole County had the lowest unemployment rate (4.5%) in the CSCF region followed by Lake County (5.1%), Orange County (5.5%), Sumter County (5.8%) and Osceola County (6.6%).

Job Growth Trends

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford MSA:

• Nonagricultural employment was 1,200,900, an increase of 109,700 Jobs
  (+10.1%) over the year.
• Faster Annual Job Growth*
  • Leisure and Hospitality Services (+46.3%)
  • Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+7.9%)
  • Education and Health Services (+6.6%)
  • Mining, Logging, and Constructions (+4.2%)
• Second Highest Annual Job Growth*
  • Mining, Logging and Construction (+3,500 jobs)
• Third Highest Annual Job Growth*
  • Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+18,500 jobs)

The Villages MSA:

• Nonagricultural employment in The Villages MSA was 31,400, an increase of 900 jobs (+3.0 percent) over the year.

Trends in High Growth Industries (HGIs):

The Following HGIs Grew Faster in the CSCF Region than Statewide Over the Year:

• Leisure and Hospitality (+60,000 Jobs)
• Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+16,800 Jobs)
• Professional and Business Services (+12,200 Jobs)
• Education and Health Services (+10,200 Jobs)
• Mining, Logging, and Construction (+3,500 Jobs)
• Financial Services (+3,100 Jobs)
• Information (+1,000 Jobs)

Industries losing jobs over the year were:

• Government (-1,600 Jobs)
• Manufacturing (-500 Jobs)

Additional Information

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*Compared to all Metro Areas in the State

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Workforce Statistics and Economic Research.

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