Unemployment rises in region, state

PANAMA CITY — Bay County’s unemployment rate saw a slight uptick last month, from 5.1 percent in April to 5.6 percent, according to figures released Friday by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Kim Bodine, executive director of CareerSource Gulf Coast, described the increase as “statistically insignificant” but said its something the organization is keeping an eye on.

“The difference between April and May in terms of unemployment is historically flat, so the rates have gotten our attention,” Bodine said. “The numbers that show we are losing jobs in leisure and tourism for our area just don’t add up with other indicators that we see locally.”

The region experienced similar job loss numbers in the tourism industry last year, which were corrected following an annual adjustment of the of Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) data.

Bodine also cited a large-scale layoff at the General Dynamics call center in Lynn Haven last month, which could have impacted the numbers.

LAUS data for Bay County showed a labor force of 92,521 in May, with 87,347 employed residents and 5,174 without jobs. The numbers showed an increase in the labor force, employed residents and unemployed residents between April and May.

The data released Friday also showed slow job growth in the area, with the Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach metro area observing an annual rate of job growth of just 0.3 percent, behind the state’s rate of 2.9 percent.

The state unemployment rate also showed a slight increase between April and May, from 6.2 to 6.3 percent, equal to the national jobless rate.

While economists expect slight rises in the unemployment rate as the economy improves, Florida lost 18,000 jobs last month, the highest amount of job losses in the nation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Locally, Bodine encouraged job seekers and employers seeking to fill positions to reach out to CareerSource Gulf Coast for assistance. The organization offers free services, including job training, skills assessments, workshops and office space, for employers in Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties.

“Our staff does a great job in working with area job seekers and employers,” she said. “I encourage folks who are looking for a job or employers who have openings to reach out to the CareerSource Gulf Coast job center.”

Bay County  Labor Force  employment  unemployment level  unemployment rate

May 2014     92,521        87,347       5,174             5.6 percent

April 2014     91,962        87,252       4,710             5.1 percent

May 2013     92,025        86,096       5,929             6.4 percent

May 2014      April 2014       May 2013

Bay………………..5.6………………...5.1………………6.4

Calhoun...................6.1...........................5.4........................6.7

Franklin...................5.6...........................5.3........................5.4

Gulf.........................6.0...........................5.7........................6.6

Holmes....................5.4...........................4.9........................6.0

Jackson....................5.4...........................5.0........................5.8

Walton.....................3.4...........................3.2........................4.4

Washington.............7.1...........................6.4........................7.9