Marianna, FL – The preliminary employment numbers released by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) show an unemployment rate of 4.7% in May 2021 for the 5-county region served by CareerSource Chipola (CSC). This represents a decrease of 0.2% since April and is more than 3% lower than May 2020, an encouraging sign that the area continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the decreased unemployment rate, the CSC region has also seen an increase in the labor force. “Our five counties have experienced a slight increase in both the total labor force and the available labor force,” says CSC Executive Director Richard Williams. These gains, however, have not eliminated the current shortage of job seekers. Notes Williams, “We also realize that our employers are still hurting and are having issues filling available positions.”
The workforce development organization is working closely with local employers and job seekers to match the two and fill positions as quickly as possible. The increased labor pool is promising and is a trend CSC hopes will continue as recovery progresses.
“Thanks to the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida has been experiencing a significant recovery from the downturn caused by the pandemic. In our region, we have had almost 1,200 fewer unemployed people in our region than a year ago and our labor force has increased by more than three thousand over the same timeframe. We continue to see growth and we look forward to this continuing in the future.”
Employers struggling to hire are encouraged to reach out to CareerSource Chipola for specialized assistance. Individuals and employers can contact CareerSource Chipola for assistance by calling 850-633-4419.
Employment data is released monthly by DEO and is not yet seasonally adjusted.
CareerSource Chipola is a non-profit corporation providing job skill training and employment services in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty and Washington Counties. CSC works with multiple education facilities as well as state and local agencies to help our residents obtain and maintain employment as well as working with employers to help them find the workforce they need. The majority of CSC board members must come from the private sector.
