Unemployment Up in Flagler, Says Chamber of Commerce

The unemployment rate in Flagler County ticked up this month, according to figures from the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce. The data, which is supplied by Florida Commerce, supports a trend of modestly rising unemployment over the last few months in Flagler. Flagler County’s unemployment rate currently sits at 3.9% as of the most recent data, an increase from 3.7% in the previous month’s report. The state unemployment figure sits at 2.7%, over a full percentage point lower than Flagler’s number. At the same time, the gross number of employed Flagler County residents has risen from one report to the next; the July numbers had 51,213 employed residents versus 51,588 in the August report. Flagler County’s total labor force sits at 53,709, accounting for both local residents and those who commute from out-of-county. Meanwhile, the number of Flagler County residents currently seeking employment rose from 1,977 in July to 2,121 in August, an increase of 7.3%. “3.9% is the highest unemployment rate Flagler County has seen since January 2022,” said Chamber President & CEO Greg Blosé. “The reason for the recent increase is because Flagler County’s workforce growth continues to outpace local hiring. Local hiring is still strong, with 375 more residents finding employment in August 2023. However, our local workforce grew by 519 residents during that same period. “As population continues to grow, we will experience an increase in the labor force and see more people standing in the unemployment line as they search for jobs after relocating here. Hiring in Flagler County was still strong in July 2022, but could not keep up with our growing labor force, which is now nearly 54,000 residents strong.”