Miami-Dade Unemployment At 22 Percent
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – Florida's unemployment problem continues to throw a damper on any potential economic recovery in the state. Statewide, the unemployment rate stood at 10.6 percent; but the news in South Florida was much, much worse.
According to the Agency for Workforce Innovation's basic numbers, the unemployment rate for June in Miami-Dade County stood at 13.9 percent. That means, more than 182,000 workers in Miami-Dade County are unemployed.
But, when you add in workers who have given up looking for jobs, the underemployed, and other workers, the true unemployment rate in Miami-Dade County is 22 percent.
Miami-Dade's unemployment rate increased from 13.7 percent in May to June's 13.9 percent. Year-over-year, unemployment in Miami-Dade County is up 1.2 percent.
Additionally, the Miami/Miami Beach/Kendall metropolitan area has the second highest unemployment rate, trailing only the Palm Coast. Miami-Dade County's unemployment rate was the third highest by county in the state.
It's making the job search even more frustrating for the unemployed.
"Lets' say you are working for a computer job, sales, masseuses; you have a ton of people looking for the same thing," said Augusto Sandino Pastora. "I don't get discouraged because this is something we can't do right now."
Broward County's unemployment rate rose by 0.5 percent from May to a June rate of 9.5 percent. But, when you add in the same factors mentioned above, the true unemployment rate in Broward County stood at 17.6 percent.
As of June, roughly 94,000 workers in Broward County were listed as unemployed, but that doesn't factor in the people who have given up finding work, the underemployed, etc.
Monroe County saw their unemployment rate increase by 0.3 percent to 6.6 percent in June. Roughly 3,038 workers were looking for work in Monroe County. If you add in the entire picture, the true unemployment rate for Monroe County was 14.7 percent.
The statewide rate remains much higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.2 percent.
Florida Governor Rick Scott said that Florida is "bucking the national trend in unemployment," and that June's report showing no change in the unemployment rate is "great news for Floridians."
