Palm Beach County’s unemployment rate for August dropped slightly to 3.7 percent from 3.8 percent a year ago, but up from July’s 3.6 percent.
In addition, for 10 consecutive months, there are more job openings in Palm Beach County than unemployed people — 29,831 job openings in the county in August versus 27,700 unemployed people, according to the latest monthly reports released by CareerSource Palm Beach County and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
While Palm Beach County’s unemployment rate for August is above the state’s 3.5 percent rate, it remains below the 3.8 percent national rate, continuing a 31-month streak where the county’s rate has stayed below or matched the national rate.
Meanwhile, wages and salaries in Palm Beach County are up 3.1 percent, besting the national wage growth of 2.8 percent, according to the latest quarterly report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“With the low unemployment rate, more jobs are looking for people to fill them and businesses are having to boost wages to attract and keep employees, particularly as we near the active winter season. Palm Beach County gained more than 13,000 jobs over the year, and the county’s unemployment rate has remained at or below 4 percent for nearly two years,” 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.
On a percentage basis, job gains in August were led by the manufacturing sector with 5.5 percent over-the-year job growth, besting a 2.9 percent increase statewide. Palm Beach County also had the fastest job growth rate in the state in the financial activities sector.
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 29,831 full-time and part-time jobs in Palm Beach County in August. 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, and bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks
“CareerSource Palm Beach County fully supports the governor’s priorities for Florida’s employment and economic growth, including expanding apprenticeships, growing well-paying careers and strengthening businesses,” Craig said.
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. For more info., visit www.careersourcepbc.com.
