Layoffs of seasonal workers as the holiday shopping season ended and a continued influx of people moving to the area contributed to an uptick in jobless rates locally in January.
The increase in unemployment rates for Volusia and Flagler counties came despite the creation of more than 8,400 jobs by area employers.
Here's a look at the latest numbers.
POST-HOLIDAY BLUES?
Unemployment rises as the holiday shopping season ends, but remain lower than year-ago levels:
Flagler County
January 2018: 4.6%
December 2017: 4.0%
January 2017: 5.6%
Volusia County
January 2018: 4.3%
December 2017: 3.8%
January 2017: 5.2%
Florida*
January 2018: 4.1%
December 2017: 3.7%
January 2017: 4.8%
(*= Not seasonally adjusted rate to provide apples to apples comparison to individual county rates.)
HIRING REMAINS ROBUST
Local employers add jobs at a faster rate than the state
Flagler County
January 2018: 44,286 (-0.002% from December; +3.18% from a year ago)
December 2017: 44,287
January 2017: 42,918
Volusia County
January 2018: 241,020 (-0.038% from December; +3.04% from a year ago)
December 2017: 241,113
January 2017: 233,902
Florida
January 2018: 9,719,000 (-0.01% from December; +2.48% year over year)
December 2017: 9,720,000
January 2017: 9,483,000
MORE JOB SEEKERS
Number of unemployed workers:
Flagler County
January 2018: 2,128 (+14.7% from December; -15.8% from a year ago)
December 2017: 1,855
January 2017: 2,528
Volusia County
January 2018: 10,900 (+14.0% from December; -15.2% from a year ago)
December 2017: 9,557
January 2017: 12,859
Florida
January 2018: 417,000 (+10.8% from December; -12.9% from a year ago)
December 2017: 372,000
January 2017: 479,000
LABOR FORCE SWELLS
Number of employed and available workers locally also increased by a greater percentage than state as a whole:
Flagler County
January 2018: 46,414 (+0.59% from December; +2.1% from a year ago)
December 2017: 46,142
January 2017: 45,446
Volusia County
January 2018: 251,920 (+0.49% from December; +2.09% from a year ago)
December 2017: 250,670
January 2017: 246,761
Florida
January 2018: 10,136,000 (+0.43% from December; +1.75% from a year ago)
December 2017: 10,092,000
January 2017: 9,961,000
SOURCE: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
Robin King, president and CEO of CareerSource Flagler Volusia: "The bump in unemployment (compared to December) this time of year is a norm in the annual cycle. Overall, we are seeking fewer job seekers in our (career) centers. Looking at year-to-date job postings (of available positions), we see a growth of 25 percent, compared to last year, and 41 percent from two years ago."
Helga van Eckert, director, Flagler County Department of Economic Opportunity: "While Flagler County's month-over-month employment number has remained the same, the unemployment rate has increased slightly. This is a reflection of a month-over-month increase in available workforce numbers due to population growth."
Rob Ehrhardt, Volusia County economic development director: "With the exception of Miami-Dade, Glades and Hendry counties, the reported January 2018 unemployment rate for all Florida counties increased in comparison to the December 2017 unemployment rates. ... A review of January employment figures for Volusia County dating back to 1990 shows the January 2018 figure of 241,020 is highest for that month in our county. The previous January high for Volusia County was 237,047 reported for January 2007."