After two straight months of having the second-most mass-layoff events in the country, Florida companies experienced 69 in September, dropping the Sunshine State to just the fourth-most among the 50 states.
According to the numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida accounted for 69 of 1,189 mass layoffs across the country, compared to 78 of the nation's 961 mass layoffs in August and 147 of the 2,176 layoffs nationwide in July.
Florida's mass layoffs -- which count as one employer laying off at least 50 workers -- were also the third-highest in the country in June and again the second-highest in the nation in May, according to the BLS.
Among the eight states and the District of Columbia in the South Atlantic census division, Florida accounted for nearly 37 percent of all mass layoffs.
This comes after last week's news out of the BLS, which was that Florida's unemployment rate decreased .1 percent to 10.6 percent in September after three months of no change, putting the state back to the same rate it was at in May.
Still, state officials are somehow optimistic about Florida's jobs scenario. After last week's announcement that the unemployment rate in the state dropped .1 percent, this was the reaction of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Doug Darling:
Today's numbers are a strong signal that Florida is doing the right things to rebound from difficult economic times. But our job is far from over with 977,000 residents unemployed. We must continue our efforts of coordinated economic development to create jobs and ensure our workforce is skilled and ready to be matched with employment opportunities.
California led the pack yet again in mass layoffs with 297, followed by Pennsylvania with 132 and New York with 91.
Most of the layoffs nationwide were in the manufacturing sector, according to the BLS.
Initial claims for unemployment insurance have kept decreasing in Florida, from more than 12,000 in July to just over 5,000 in August, now down to 4,538 for September.
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