INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Despite some signs of an improving economy in Indian River County, unemployment jumped from 13.7 percent in December to 14.4 percent in January.
The increase meant 8,965 county residents were out of work out of a total labor pool of 62,346. In December, 8,507 residents were out of work.
In January of 2009 unemployment in the county stood at 10.2 percent.
The news comes despite Piper announcing it has begun to hire back some workers who were dismissed in two rounds of layoffs.
Indian River County has the seventh-highest unemployment rate in the state. Flagler County is leads the state with 17.1 percent unemployment. St. Lucie County has the highest unemployment in the area at 14.9 percent, fourth-worst in the state. No county in Florida has an unemployment rate in single digits.
Overall, unemployment stands at 11.9 percent in Florida, while it is at 10.6 in the country.
