Palm Beach County Unemployment Rate Drops to 3.6 Percent; More Job Openings Than Unemployed for 8 Consecutive Months
West Palm Beach, Fla. (July 19, 2019) – Palm Beach County’s unemployment rate for June dropped to 3.6 percent from 3.9 percent a year ago. In addition, for eight consecutive months, there are more job openings in Palm Beach County than unemployed people – 29,866 job openings in the county in June vs. 26,329 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).
June 2019 is the eighth 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 June is nearly even with the state’s 3.5 percent rate and below the 3.8 percent national rate, continuing a 29-month streak where the county’s rate has stayed below or matched the national rate.
“June’s unemployment rate compared to last month primarily reflects the traditionally slower summer season. Palm Beach County gained nearly 15,000 jobs over the year and the county’s unemployment rate has remained at or below 4 percent for 21 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. “At the same time, the county’s labor force continues to grow, adding more than 10,000 people in June.”
Job growth by industry sector: On a percentage basis, job gains in June were led by the manufacturing sector with 5.5 percent over-the-year job growth, besting a 3.1 percent increase statewide.
The number of jobs in the government sector tied for the highest annual job growth rate compared to all metro areas in the state.
By the numbers, over-the-year job gains/losses in Palm Beach County were:
Industry Change
Education/health services +4,500 jobs
Professional/business services +4,000 jobs
Construction +1,800 jobs
Financial activities +1,700 jobs
Leisure/hospitality +1,600 jobs
Government +1,600 jobs
Manufacturing +1,100 jobs
Trade/transportation/utilities -300 jobs
Information -400 jobs
Other services -700 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 29,866 full-time and part-time jobs in Palm Beach County in June. 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
- First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Software developers
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 July 2019 are scheduled for release on Aug. 16.
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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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