Florida added 12,000 private-sector jobs in June, federal data shows — but Sen. Rick Scott says the state lost 18,000. Here's what the numbers actually say.
Original Publication Date: Jul 23, 2026
Florida’s private sector added 12,000 jobs in June, according to newly released employment data.
The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee released employment numbers this week showing Florida in a course correction for its job growth. The 12,000 new jobs added to the private sector in June stands in contrast to the 3,300 net private payroll jobs the state lost in May.
The state added 11,100 net payroll jobs in June, after losing 4,100 net payroll jobs the previous month, the report shows.
That trend was consistent with most states during June. Payroll jobs rose in 34 states and fell in 17 states. The largest job percent increases were seen in Alaska and New Hampshire with the largest decline happening in West Virginia.
Florida’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.7% but remains above the national average of 4.2%.
On Wednesday, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla, said Florida lost 18,000 private sector jobs. He also addressed the state’s unemployment rate being above the national average.
“This is troubling,” Scott wrote on X. “A good job is the cornerstone of the American Dream. Floridians need opportunity.”
According to the state's report, Florida lost roughly 18,300 not seasonally adjusted private sector jobs over the month of June.
In the majority of states, including Florida, unemployment fell during the month of June. It rose in just 7 states and remained unchanged in 14. The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate at 6% while South Dakota’s was the lowest at 2%.
Florida tied for 28th in the nation for its percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the last year. In total, the Sunshine state gained 30,700 payroll jobs over the past 12 months. However, the unemployment rate rose by 0.9% up from 3.8% last year.
The job sectors that have performed the best in Florida over the past year are Private Education and Health Services, which added 39,000 jobs between June 2025 and June 2026. Professional and Business Services added 13,400 jobs. The sectors that performed the worst during that time period were Financial Activities, which lost 12,900 jobs and the Federal Government, which lost 7,700 jobs.
From May to June of this year, Private Education and Health Services grew by 5,000 jobs and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities added 4,500 jobs.
The state ranks 46th nationally for labor force participation. The labor force participation rate remained the same at 57.6% in June and has stayed almost exactly where it was a year ago as the rate has fallen by just 0.1% over the past 12 months, according to the Joint Economic Committee report.
The highest Florida’s labor force participation rate got over the last 10 years was just shy of 60% in October 2019. The 10-year-low happened in April 2020 when it hit 53.8%, the report shows.
Corrections and Clarifications
This story has been clarified. According to the state's report, Florida lost roughly 18,300 not seasonally adjusted private sector jobs over the month.
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