Florida unemployment claims rise to two-month high

First-time unemployment claims in Florida climbed to their highest weekly level in more than two months, according to U.S. Department of Labor estimates released Oct. 15. An estimated 5,793 Floridians filed initial jobless claims during the week ending Oct. 10, up from a revised 5,312 the previous week, an increase of 9.1%. The total was the highest since the week ending Aug. 8, when 5,797 claims were filed. Nationally, initial claims rose by 1,000 to 199,000. Florida's unemployment rate stood at 4.5% in August, representing approximately 502,000 unemployed workers.