Sen. Rick Scott calls Florida’s rising unemployment rate ‘urgent’ as state lags national trend

Sen. Rick Scott concerned about Florida job market

Nationally, April's jobs numbers exceeded expectations of most economists, with employers adding a projected 115,000 jobs. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - Nationally, April's jobs numbers exceeded expectations of most economists, with employers adding a projected 115,000 jobs.

By the numbers:

The unemployment rate held steady, at 4.3%. But the story is a bit different in Florida.

Sen. Rick Scott says the fact that the state is lagging a national trend is concerning.            

Florida's unemployment rate now sits at 4.7%.

Compare that to when unemployment was at 3.5% for five consecutive months ending in January 2025.

"Florida should be number one," Scott said.

Dig deeper:

The state has lost about 22,000 jobs since March 2025.

The number of people who are unemployed has jumped from 481,000 to 523,000.

Scott argues the state has lost its touch in the way it pursues potential big employers, along with smaller ones that are geared towards tourists.

The state says that eight out of 10 major industries had year-over-year net negative job growth.

"We've got great people, we've got great weather, we've [got] 15 seaports, we're the biggest tourism state in the country," Scott said. "It's the same thing I learned in business. Why does Coca-Cola advertise? Because you have to constantly go after the customer."

The other side:

The most effective industries right now are education and health care.

The third-lowest unemployment rate in the state is in Pinellas County, which is at 3.1%.

Near the Bay Area, the highest unemployment rate is in Sumter County, at 7.8%.

The governor's office did not immediately respond to FOX 13’s request for comment on Florida's jobs picture.