Unemployment is rising in Florida, including in Jacksonville and nearby counties in Northeast Florida.
The latest report from the Florida Department of Commerce comes just after CSX, a large employer in Jacksonville, announced layoffs of more than 160 workers.
The report shows that Jacksonville’s unemployment rate surged higher in the latter months of 2025, despite national numbers trending down.
The unemployment rate in the Jacksonville metro area (Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, St. Johns counties) rose to 5.1% in November.
It had been 4.3% in September, according to data from the Florida Department of Commerce. The same time last year, it was at 3.5%
The November unemployment rate was the highest in Northeast Florida since the coronavirus pandemic.
For the six surrounding counties, it is almost identical, with the highest being Putnam County at 6.3%.
Florida as a whole is sitting at 4.2% in November 2025, up 0.7 percentage points from a year ago.
Dr. Amanda Phalin, an economist at the University of Florida, said there are two basic reasons for the rise in unemployment: tariffs are impacting job certainty in manufacturing, and with more homes for sale, there is less construction right now in Florida.
“I think that we are getting a lot of mixed signals in the economy right now. We see pretty high levels of GDP growth. I believe the latest numbers are 4.3%, which is a very, very good number. On the other hand, we see the employment market, the labor market softening,” Phalin explained.
She also explained that we are in a K-shaped economy right now — so high earners are doing well and spending more, while low earners are struggling.
“For middle and lower income folks, we’re seeing higher levels of unemployment, higher prices, and less spending,” Phalin said.
Ron Whittington with Career Source believes the federal government shutdown could be causing unemployment numbers to rise, but nonetheless, he said he can help you find jobs in places that are hiring.
He explained the process for someone coming into Career Source:
“First, we’re gonna get your information, find out what your skill set is, your job experience, what you’ve been doing,” Whittington said.
He also shared job fields that are currently in high demand for hiring:
- Retail sales: 1,116 positions
- Registered nurses: 946
- Fast food and counter workers: 920
- First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers: 847
- First-line supervisors of retail salespersons: 617 positions
“Even if you see the overall numbers drop, you’re going to different sectors of the industries that are doing well,” Whittington said.
Phalin said conflicts in Venezuela also may contribute to softening job markets, and she expects to see the unemployment numbers continue to trend up locally.
National numbers
According to national data, the number of Americans filing for jobless claims for the week ending Jan. 3 rose by 8,000 to 208,000, up from 200,000 the previous week
Applications for unemployment aid are viewed as a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.
Last month, the Labor Department reported that reported that the U.S. gained a decent 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October as federal workers departed after cutbacks by the Trump administration. That helped to push the unemployment rate up to 4.6%, the highest since 2021.
The government’s December jobs report will be released Friday, with analysts expecting that the U.S. added 55,000 non-farm jobs.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that the four-week average of claims, which softens some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 7,250 to 211,750.
The total number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the previous week ending Dec. 27 jumped by 56,000 to 1.91 million, the government said.
CareerSource has scheduled multiple job fairs in January 2026 across the region to help connect job seekers with employers. Events include:
- Recruitment Wednesdays at the Southside Career Center in Jacksonville
- Military Sealift Command hiring event on Jan. 8
- Job fairs at the St. Johns Career Center on Jan. 15 and Jan. 29
For more information, job seekers can visit careersourcenortheastflorida.com or call 904-356-JOBS (5627).