County’s unemployment rate sees slight decrease, work force still needs boost

Preliminary employment numbers released by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) show the unemployment rate to be down slightly in the five-county region served by CareerSource Chipola (CSC).

Holmes CountyÂ’s unemployment rate was 4.3 percent for May, slightly down from 4.6 percent in April. Holmes CountyÂ’s unemployment rate ranks second lowest rate in the CSC region and below both the region and state average.

Liberty County had the regionÂ’s lowest unemployment rate for May at 4.1 percent.

Overall, the region had an unemployment rate of 4.7 percent in May 2021. This represents a decrease of 0.2 percent since April and is more than 3 percent lower than May 2020. 

In addition to the decreased unemployment rate, the CSC region has also seen an increase in the labor force. CSC officials say this is an encouraging sign that the area continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our five counties have experienced a slight increase in both the total labor force and the available labor force,” said CSC Executive Director Richard Williams. “These gains, however, have not eliminated the current shortage of job seekers. We also realize that our employers are still hurting and are having issues filling available positions.” 

Williams went on to say that the workforce development organization is working closely