The U.S. Department of Labor estimated 4,817 initial unemployment claims were filed in Florida during the week that ended Jan. 4, up from a revised count of 3,475 claims during the previous week, which included Christmas and the start of Hanukkah.
Since the start of 2024, Florida averaged 6,420 new claims a week, up from 5,744 a week in 2023, and 6,177 in 2022.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the weekly average jumped to 83,286 in 2020 and 14,039 in 2021.
The Florida Department of Commerce will release a December unemployment report on Jan. 24.
Nationally, an estimated 201,000 claims were filed last week, down from 211,000 during the week that ended Dec. 28, according to a Department of Labor report issued Wednesday.