South Florida’s unemployment rate fell in December, down to 3.5% as Miami-Dade County continues to have the lowest jobless rate in the state. It also means South Florida has one of the lowest unemployment rates among largest metropolitan areas in the county.
The region saw employment increase by almost 4,000 last month compared to November. Most of the work was added in Broward County.
South Florida’s job gains came from the traditional industries. Construction hiring was strong in December as interest rates fell. Retailers also added jobs over the traditional winter holiday shopping season. And tourism businesses brought on new workers as the tourism season began.
One of the places shedding jobs in the region in December was the state government — dropping more than 2,000 positions. The government sector was the weakest among major industry groups.
Statewide, Florida’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 4.3%. While that remains well below what most economists consider full employment, it is a post-pandemic high. There was no employment data for October due to the federal government shutdown.
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Healthcare and education experienced the largest job growth in 2025 with over 11,000 more positions in December 2025 compared to a year earlier. That is more than three times the growth versus the second best performing sector — local government, which added 3,800 new jobs last year.
Business and professional services, which is a catch-all description that includes legal services, some financial jobs, advertising and management, dropped almost 7,000 positions over the course of last year. Despite the job losses, the sector continued to be the largest employment industry in South Florida.
The federal government workforce shrank by about 2,000 positions as the Trump administration slashed positions in several agencies with presence in the region.
The regional data is not seasonally adjusted.
