Local jobless rate spikes to 14.7%

It was another tough economic month for Hernando County in November.

The jobless rate spiked from 14.0 the previous month to 14.7, making it by far the worst month on record during the current recession, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

Only Flagler and Hendry counties have worse unemployment numbers in the state. They recorded 16.8 and 14.9 percent for November, respectively.

The recent change in data has caused some in Tallahassee to look hard at new ideas to change the landscape.

"The rate released (Friday) reinforces the need for a variety of strategies to help bolster job growth in Florida," said AWI Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo. "(The) Florida Back to Work program and the passenger rail legislation ... will help as many as 39,000 Floridians get back to work."

Florida's unemployment rate for November is 11.5 percent, compared to 10.0 for the entire nation. The state's unemployment numbers represent 1,056,000 people out of work, according to AWI.

Hernando County had a labor force of 63,082 for the month, up from 62,811 in October, one of the rare times it has grown during the past year.

In spite of the month-to-month increase in the labor force, there were 205 fewer jobs in November compared to October, according to AWI.

Overall, 476 more people joined the unemployment ranks in Hernando County during the same span.

Residents ages 16 and older who are working or actively seeking work make up the labor force. Full-time students, stay-at-home parents, people on disability and retirees are not included.

The unemployment rate for the Tampa metropolitan area is 12.3 percent. It includes Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Pinellas has the lowest at 11.7 percent, but all counties showed increases in November, according to AWI.