Unemployment rates have more than doubled in Orange County year-over-year. Due to the slowdown in service industry and tourism sectors, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford areas have experienced the largest over-the-year job losses in all of Florida with 168,000 jobs lost.
The unemployment rate dropped a fraction of a percent, but these gains were not distributed equally. Central Florida as a whole continues to struggle, with Osceola County posting the highest unemployment rate in the state at over 8 percent.
Despite this marginal growth, and the continued suffering of Floridians in service jobs, Gov. Ron DeSantis gave himself a pat on the back in a letter he wrote earlier this month.
“Our economic comeback is strong, and our unemployment rate reflects our prudent approach,” DeSantis said.
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This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2021.