Florida jobless rate drops in June ― but will that last?

This file photo shows a now hiring sign in North Miami Beach. Jobless claims are dropping month over month, but there is concern about potential future shutdowns as COVID-19 numbers rise, particularly in South Florida. (Wilfredo Lee, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 10.4% in June from the previous month’s 13.7%. The drop reflects the reopening of the state’s theme parks, restaurants, bars and other tourism-related businesses after weeks of coronavirus-related lockdowns.

But economists said Friday that the state’s economic future remains clouded by recent spikes in Florida’s COVID-19 caseload, which has prompted talk of possibly more shutdowns.

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That is evidenced by this week’s showing that jobless claims almost doubled last week from the previous week.

Additionally, a host of large hotels have said that they are turning temporary furloughs from March into permanent layoffs at the end of July. Year-over-year, the hospitality industry has lost more than 1 in 5 jobs in Florida.

The unemployment rate in the CareerSource Broward region was 11.8% in June, compared to 15.2% in May.

The unemployment rate in the CareerSource South Florida region (Miami-Dade and Monroe counties) was 11.4% in June compared to 12.1% in May.