CLAY COUNTY – The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced on Monday, May 24, the unemployment rate for the Jacksonville region declined slightly from 4.5% in March to 4.4% in April 2021.

Of the 833,880 people counted as part of the area's workforce in April, there were still 37,044 unemployed residents.

In Clay County, the unemployment rate remained at 4%. The state’s rate is 4.8%, while the national rate is 6.1%.

“Although it was only a very slight decline, the employment picture in Northeast Florida continues to improve – and we are near the employment levels that existed before the pandemic began last March,” said CareerSource Northeast Florida President Bruce Ferguson. “The industries gaining the most jobs over the year include leisure and hospitality, increasing by 26,300 jobs, and education and health services, increasing by 10,100 jobs.”

CareerSource NEFL notes that the agency is seeing an uptick in open job positions from regional employers – and it is receiving approximately 3,000 monthly job positions from its partner-employers monthly.

For those looking for a job, CareerSource NEFL can connect them with employers that are hiring now. For job seekers who want to make a transition to a new career, CareerSource NEFL offers assessments and training to help them gain the skills needed to put them on a new career track. To learn more about how CareerSource NEFL can help secure that next career, please visit www.careersourcenefl.com or call 904-356-JOBS (5627).

Job seekers are encouraged to visit www.careersourcenefl.com, where they can schedule a virtual appointment – or schedule one at their nearest career center location. They can also schedule an appointment by phone at (904) 356-5627.

CareerSource NEFL is scheduling a major virtual job fair on June 24 to connect all job seekers with open positions.

Also in June, CareerSource NEFL will be hosting in-person recruiting events at its Gateway Career Center, located at 5000 Norwood Ave., Ste. 2 in Jacksonville for Extended Stay America on Wednesday, June 2, and for Gate Petroleum Company on Thursday, June 3. For more information about these and other job fairs and workshops hosted by CareerSource NEFL, visit the events page at https://careersourcenortheastflorida.com/events/.

CareerSource NEFL is responsible for providing a trained workforce to businesses in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties. For more information, visit www.careersourcenefl.com.