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Labor market picture bleak in January


Staff Report Unemployment, already at a high level, stretched to scary proportions in January in Volusia and Flagler counties, going above 10 percent for the first time — ever — in the two-county area.
The rate for Volusia and Flagler together was 10.4 percent, up from 9.1 percent in December and 5.6 percent a year ago, according to figures released today by the state Agency for Workforce Innovation.
By itself, Flagler had the highest unemployment rate in Florida at 14.2 percent, the report shows. Nearly 30,000 workers were unemployed in the two-county area in January.
A separate survey on employment shows Volusia County lost 8,400 jobs between January and January 2008. Manufacturing suffered the biggest percentage loss at 10.2 percent while retail trade lost the most jobs at 2,500. The employment survey isn’t done in Flagler.