Labor force, employment and jobless numbers down across region

The jobless rate in the CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion region was 3.8% in May, down 0.4 percentage point over the month and 0.3 percentage point greater than the region’s year ago rate of 3.5%. The labor force was 217,695, down 1,570 (-0.7%) over the year. There were 8,370 unemployed residents in the region, a drop pf 825 compared to April and up 652 over the year.

According to preliminary employment data recently released by FloridaCommerce, there were 209,325 employed across the region, a drop of 615 since April and 2,222 fewer than the same time last year. Levy County continued to post the lowest jobless rate in the region at 3.6%, down from 4.0% over the month; followed by Marion County with 3.7%, also down from 4.0%. Citrus County reported a 4.5% unemployment rate, down from 4.9% in April, according to materials provided by CareerSource CLM.

Marion County’s labor force was 150,710, down 947 over the month and 699 over the year. There were 145,197 employed, a decrease of 386 compared to April and down 1,065 compared to the same time last year. The county had 5,513 unemployed in May, 561 fewer than the previous month and 366 more than in May 2023.

Rusty Skinner, CareerSource CLM’s chief executive officer, noted that labor force and employment numbers were down for all three counties in the region both in May and over the year. Because the data is not seasonally adjusted, Skinner said it could be school related.

“Historically, we see contraction of the labor force and adjustments to the number of those employed as school support personnel leave for the summer,” he said in the news release. “At this time of year, there seems to be a bit of a tug-of-war between those temporarily stepping away from the labor force in late spring and early summer and those seeking seasonal employment, such as college students, or returning to the labor force full time.”

In May, nonfarm employment in the Ocala Metropolitan Area, which covers all of Marion County, was 121,300 in March, an increase of 1,200 jobs over the year for a 1.0% growth rate over the year.

With a 3% growth rate, the Education and Health Services industry grew faster in the metro area than statewide over the year. Industries gaining jobs were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+700 jobs); Education and Health Services (+600 jobs); Mining, Logging, and Construction (+300 jobs); Leisure and Hospitality (+300 jobs); Government (+100 jobs); and Other Services (+100 jobs). Industries losing jobs were Manufacturing (-400 jobs): Professional and Business Services (-300 jobs); Information (-100 jobs) and Financial Activities (-100 jobs).

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