Florida Jobless Rate Ticked Up Slightly In May
While Florida's jobless rate ticked up slightly last month, it was nowhere near where it was last May.
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While Florida's jobless rate ticked up slightly last month, it was nowhere near where it was last May.
Floridians struggling since the start of the coronavirus pandemic are being forced to take jobs below their skill levels and at low wages as the state scales back unemployment assistance, opponents of reducing aid said Thursday.
Florida Republican leaders touted the state's economy Wednesday and said they expect businesses to boost hiring as additional federal unemployment benefits end in the coming weeks.
An estimated 18,355 first-time unemployment claims were filed last week in Florida, close to the average for the past three months, as leisure and hospitality fields continue to bear the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he opposes raising Florida's unemployment benefits, which are some of the nation's lowest, because he's more focused instead on getting people back to work.
An effort to increase Florida's much-criticized unemployment benefits, boosting the amounts and lengths of payments, continued to advance Thursday in the state Senate.
Unemployment claims in Florida increased slightly last week, with an estimated 16,170 new applications submitted, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The coronavirus pandemic caused a huge spike in unemployment, but women could be bearing the brunt of it. That's because the industries hardest hit tend to employ more female workers.
A day after legislative leaders unleashed the plan, the House began moving forward Thursday with a proposal that would cover a pandemic-caused shortfall in the unemployment system by requiring out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes from Floridians.
After months of tech issues and glitches, Florida officials are recommending the state's antiquated unemployment processing system be replaced after a review confirmed it was incapable of handling the unprecedented deluge of jobless claims spawned by the coronavirus outbreak.
Nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began tossing people out of work, a circuit judge is again poised to consider a potential class-action lawsuit stemming from major problems in Florida's unemployment compensation system.
More than 23,000 Floridians filed first-time unemployment claims last week, as the pandemic-plagued year neared an end.
Questions remained about when extended unemployment benefits from a newly signed federal stimulus package will be available for Floridians out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proposed $908 billion coronavirus relief package is gaining traction in Congress. But will it be enough, and will it come in time?
Plaintiffs' attorneys have filed a revised class-action lawsuit against the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Deloitte Consulting LLP, seeking damages because of major problems with the state's unemployment-compensation system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rejecting arguments by the state and Deloitte Consulting LLP, a circuit judge has given more time to plaintiffs to file a revised class-action lawsuit stemming from problems in Florida's unemployment-compensation system.
In an economy beset by pandemic-induced hardship, why is Wall Street thriving while Main Street is struggling?
Spending from the first round of stimulus propped up the economy. But that money is gone, and a more stimulus is unlikely in the coming weeks.
More stimulus checks would help suffering Americans and prop up the sagging U.S. economy, but Democrats and Republicans haven't yet agreed on a deal.
The revised HEROES Act, passed by Democrats in the House, would still include stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment benefits.
Stimulus discussions are back on the table in Washington, but time is growing short to deliver a second round of stimulus payments before the election.
First-time unemployment claims in Florida dropped nearly 25 percent last week, as bars and craft breweries served drinks again and Gov. Ron DeSantis moved forward with the third phase of his coronavirus economic-recovery efforts.
Time is running out on a stimulus package passing before the election, even as the need for another stimulus check and additional unemployment payments remains strong.
Unemployed individuals who qualify for an additional $300 under Trump's Lost Wages Assistance program may receive up to six weeks worth of benefits.
Eliott Rodriguez had an extended conversation with State Sen. Jason Pizzo about the state's unemployment system and the problems it has been experiencing since the pandemic took hold.
