Florida's Unemployment Rate Drops in April 2010

Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April 2010 is 12%, down from March's 12.3%. This is the first time Florida's unemployment rate has gone down since February 2006, signaling a possible shift in the job market.

Even so, 1,113,000 out of 9,282,000 Floridians in the labor force are still jobless and the state still has a long way to go before unemployment rates return to normalcy.

Nationally, the unemployment rate rose from 9.7% to 9.9%; but this is not bad news. The unemployment rate does not take into account hidden unemployment, or discouraged workers who have given up on the job search. Many of the 9.9% were discouraged workers who regained confidence in the job market and have begun to look for work again.

Toll-Road Use Decreases

This year the average amount of drivers using toll-roads in Miami-Dade was reduced by over 10,000 drivers.

The explanation for this decrease in toll-road usage sites a poor economy and less truck traffic. Most weekday traffic has not fluctuated but Floridians are taking fewer weekend trips, thus cutting back on road usage.

The Miami-Dade Expressway, Sawgrass Expressway and Florida Turnpike have all reported a decrease in the number of drivers using their roads this year.

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