Florida jobless rate falls to 4.4 percent but business uncertainty rises

Florida’s unemployment rate fell to 4.4% in September, its fourth monthly decline, while the number of unemployed remained 28,000 higher than a year earlier. Health care and social assistance led job growth, followed by leisure and hospitality, transportation and utilities, and construction; financial activities and government saw notable losses. Despite the improving rate, Florida small-business owners report heightened uncertainty, citing labor availability and quality and rising fuel costs as reasons for caution.