Florida Jobless Claims Dip

[Shutterstock]

An estimated 5,615 first-time unemployment claims were filed last week in Florida, down from 6,778 during the week that ended Feb. 8, according to a U.S. Department of Labor report released Thursday. Since the start of the year, Florida has averaged 6,401 claims a week. Nationally, an estimated 219,000 initial claims were filed during the week that ended Feb. 15, up from 214,000 during the week that ended Feb. 8. Since the start of the year, the national average has been 216,833 a week. Florida had a 3.4 percent unemployment rate in December, with an estimated 377,000 Floridians qualifying as out of work from a labor force of 11 million people. The state Department of Commerce will release a January rate on March 17.