INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Some local residents looking for work had a little better luck last month as the unemployment rate in Indian River County dipped slightly from 14.9 percent in October to 14.3 in November, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation.Despite the drop Indian River County has the fifth highest unemployment rate in the state behind Flagler County (16.8 percent), Hendry County (14.9 percent) and St. Lucie and Hernando counties (14.7 percent). The Agency for Workforce Innovation lists 60,763 people in the Indian River County labor pool with 51,865 working and 8,898 unemployed. In October, the labor pool featured 60,807 people with 51,730 working compared to 9,077 unemployed.Liberty County boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 6.1 percent, followed by Monroe County (7.3 percent).Overall in Florida, the unemployment rate jumped 0.2 percentage points to 11.5 percent in November, marking the highest such number since May 1975 when unemployment was 11.9 percent.That national unemployment rate is 10.0 percent.
Labor ForceEmployment Unemployment LevelUnemployment Rate (%)
Nov. 2009
60,763
51,865
8,898
14.6
Oct. 2009
60,807
51,730
9,077
14.9
Nov. 2008
61,800
55,957
5,843
9.5