Florida's Jobless Rate Dips To 10.4 Percent

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - Florida's unemployment rate dropped to 10.4 percent in June, as the state started the second phase of its economic-recovery effort amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The rate was down from an adjusted rate of 13.7 percent in May. The state had initially announced a 14.5 percent rate for May but adjusted it downward in Friday's report.

The latest numbers indicate an estimated 1.02 million Floridians were out of work in June, a decrease of 298,000 from May, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity.

The release of the June numbers came a day after the U.S. Department of Labor estimated that first-time jobless claims in Florida nearly doubled last week as the state deals with a surge in coronavirus cases. The Department of Labor said 129,408 initial claims were filed during the week that ended July 11, up from 66,941 during the week that ended July 4.