Palm Beach County Unemployment Rate Steady at 3.6 Percent; More Job Openings Than Unemployed for 9 Consecutive Months
West Palm Beach, Fla. (Aug. 16, 2019) – Palm Beach County’s unemployment rate for July dropped to 3.6 percent from 3.9 percent a year ago, with both rates unchanged from June. In addition, for nine consecutive months, there are more job openings in Palm Beach County than unemployed people – 29,650 job openings in the county in July vs. 26,706 unemployed people, according to the latest monthly reports released today by CareerSource Palm Beach County and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (all numbers not seasonally adjusted).
July 2019 is the ninth time that the number of open jobs exceeded the number of unemployed people in records going back to 2005. Palm Beach County’s unemployment rate for July is nearly even with the state’s 3.5 percent rate and below the 4.0 percent national rate, continuing a 30-month streak where the county’s rate has stayed below or matched the national rate.
“Even though we are in the traditionally slower summer season, the job market remains as hot as the summer weather. Palm Beach County gained nearly 14,000 jobs over the year and the county’s unemployment rate has remained at or below 4 percent for 22 months,” said Steve Craig, president and CEO of CareerSource Palm Beach County, the nonprofit organization chartered by the state to lead workforce development in Palm Beach County. “While today’s monthly report contains many positive factors in line with what has been the longest economic expansion in our history, we will be watching the effects of the recent instability in national and international economic markets.”
Job growth by industry sector: On a percentage basis, job gains in July were led by the manufacturing sector with 4.5 percent over-the-year job growth, besting a 3.1 percent increase statewide.
By the numbers, over-the-year job gains/losses in Palm Beach County were:
Industry Change
Education/health services +4,200 jobs
Professional/business services +3,400 jobs
Leisure/hospitality +2,100 jobs
Financial activities +1,700 jobs
Construction +1,600 jobs
Government +1,400 jobs
Manufacturing +900 jobs
Trade/transportation/utilities -200 jobs
Information -200 jobs
Other services -1,000 jobs
Top 8 most advertised jobs available: The Conference Board produces a monthly report of real-time labor demand captured through job advertisements. The latest report shows that there were advertisements for 29,650 full-time and part-time jobs in Palm Beach County in July. The top 8 most advertised jobs in the county are for:
- Registered nurses
- Retail salespeople
- First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Customer service representatives
- Accountants
- First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Software developers
- Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks
Whatever career you would like to pursue, the staff at CareerSource offers classes and facilities for job searches, grants for job skills training for those who qualify, career development and consulting. During the past five program years, CareerSource Palm Beach County assisted 80,500 residents find employment ranging from entry level to executive suite, with salaries from these jobs creating $1.85 billion in annual wages. CareerSource also awarded $23 million in grants to area businesses and employees for job training and educational assistance during that time.
Services for employers: CareerSource provides a comprehensive package of services to help businesses compete in today’s challenging marketplace. CareerSource absorbs the cost of most of these services including recruitment, assessments and referrals of qualified job candidates; space and staff assistance for screening/interviewing candidates; and grants for training employees.
Services for career seekers: Our career centers in West Palm Beach, Delray Beach and Belle Glade offer classes and facilities for job search, career development and consulting; and grants for job skills training – all at no cost. Schedules of workshops and employer hiring events are posted at www.careersourcepbc.com. From this same home page, you also will find our mobile-friendly Virtual Career System with online tools and resources to access our programs and services 24/7.
Next monthly employment reports for Florida and Palm Beach County: State and local employment reports for August 2019 are scheduled for release on Sept. 20.
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Note to editors: You are invited to interview a CareerSource spokesperson on local employment and economic trends, and/or career seekers at our Central Career Center in West Palm Beach. Please call 561.340.1061 ext. 2224 before 3:00 p.m. today for scheduling.
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