PALM COAST, FL (April 16, 2021) – Flagler County’s unemployment rate increased nearly a full percentage point in March 2021 from 4.5% to 5.3%, with 273 jobs being created over the past 30 days.
“Jobs are being created in Flagler County, but we still have many jobs that are going unfilled,” said Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce President Greg Blosé. “I speak with business leaders daily in Flagler County, who have open jobs that are going unfilled. In some cases, nobody is applying for these jobs. Business leaders believe this is because of COVID stimulus and extended unemployment benefits, which may be keeping potential employees on the sidelines.”
In March 2021, Flagler County employment grew from 44,930 to 45,203, an increase of 273 jobs. Meanwhile, the labor force grew from 47,248 in February 2021 to 47,741 in March 2021, an increase of nearly 500 Flagler County residents looking for work.
“Flagler County’s workforce is nearly 48,000 strong, and increase of two thousand from the beginning of the year” Blosé said. “So, people are re-entering the labor force, but we need them to take the next step and apply for open jobs in our community.”
Blosé continued, “Because Flagler County’s population is growing, we must continue to create new jobs to see a meaningful reduction in the unemployment rate. The good news is many of our businesses have recovered from the pandemic enough to offer new jobs, but the response to these open job opportunities in our community has been poor.”
In the past 12 months, Flagler County has lost 967 jobs, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, contact Greg Blosé, President and CEO of the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber, at 386-846-1864 or via email at Greg@PalmCoastFlaglerRegionalChamber.com.
