- June 11, 2026
Florida saw a jump in first-time jobless claims last week, ending a three-week slide.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 7,447 initial unemployment applications were filed in Florida last week, up from 5,363 the Memorial Day shortened week ending May 30.
The state had seen its weekly numbers slide since 8,164 applications came the week after Dania Beach-based Spirit Airlines shutdown operations on May 2.
The latest weekly estimate did little to change the pace of claims since the start of the year, which now averages 5,955 a week. However, Florida's overall unemployment rate has steadily grown for eight consecutive months.
The state jobless rate stood at 4.8 percent in April, with 532,000 unemployed Floridians from a labor force of 11.15 million. Those numbers are to be updated on June 19.
Nationwide, 229,000 claims were filed last week.
