Home  News Local News Unemployment - worst in 13 years
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Unemployment - worst in 13 years |
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Written by Dr. Garth A. Rose
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Saturday, 23 August 2008 |
Unemployment continues to rise in Florida, leading the nation with an rate of 6.1 percent in July, the worst in 13 years and represents an increase over the 5.5 percent recorded in June. Over the past year approximately 96,000 jobs have been lost in the state. However, the rate of job losses in South Florida has been less than the state’s average, except for Palm Beach County where job losses averaged 6.9 percent compared to 4.9 percent in July 2007.
Miami-Dade’s unemployment rate of 5.2 percent was slightly less than the June average of 5.3 percent, but up from the 3.8 percent recorded a year ago. Jobs losses in Broward were reported at 5.8 percent up from 3.9 this time last year. Munroe County recorded lowest job loss rate at 4.6 percent, but still an increase from the 3 percent recorded in June of 2007.alm Beach County t a year ago.
Across the South Florida the greatest job loss was recorded in construction (16,400 jobs), manufacturing (4,000), retail (5,000) and financial services (5,600). On the other hand there were job gains recorded by hospitals, the leisure and hospitality industry and with city, county, and state governments.
When the National Weekly visited the Carol City offices of South Florida Workforce earlier this week the office was jam packed with people of diverse races and backgrounds who were anxiously researching job opportunities on computers. Workforce centers assist Floridians in identifying jobs, and provide, in some circumstances, job training. The centers provide other services like assisting ex-offenders, refugees, youth and people with disabilities in structuring their careers and finding jobs.
Lolita Walton told the National Weekly that she lost her job of eight years at a Miami commercial bank, and has been looking for a job without success for over a month. She said she has sent out resumes to over thirty employers, and have only got three responses, all negative. “I am currently living off unemployment benefits, but this can hardly help me to pay my rent, and I have two young children to support,” she said.
The problem was worse for Robert Easton, who said he lost his job as a construction foreman in April, and he has been unable to get a job since, despite searching for one every day. “This is my first visit to one of these workforce offices so I hope I get some help and guidance in getting a job.”
However, the story as related by Percy Bramwell, was perhaps the most touching. Bramwell, recently loss his supervisor job at a manufacturing factory in Hialeah. “I worked at this factory for the past 20 years, ever since relocating to Miami from New Jersey. Now I am 66, and I have no idea who is going to employ me at my age. Almost every job that I have checked out, I get turned down and I know it’s because of my age. I just don’t know what to do. I have mortgage and a car note to pay, and I just don’t know what is going to happen. I hope that I will find some type of a job on the computer here today,” he said.
The unemployment rate recorded in Florida was the highest rate since January of 1995, 13 years ago and the rate of 6.1 percent is much higher than the national unemployment rate of 5.7 percent. |
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