The number of initial unemployment claims in Florida significantly dropped in the latest weekly report.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reports the Sunshine State saw a drop of 2,113 first-time notices for the week ending May 16, with 6,051 claims filed. That’s down from the week prior, which saw a whopping 8,164 seasonally adjusted claims. That was the highest number of filings this year.

That notable drop comes after a huge spike for the week ending May 9, when thousands of workers with Spirit Airlines lost their jobs. The commercial airline went out of business May 2. The company said its operations were hobbled due to major hikes in fuel costs stemming from the war in Iran.

Spirit had hubs at several Florida airports. There were an estimated 4,800 employees in the state, with many of those concentrated in Orange and Broward counties.

To respond to those sudden job losses, FloridaCommerce, the state’s business development bureau, held “rapid response” emergency relief worker assistance events. Those state advisors, along with CareerSource Florida experts, advised workers how to adjust to the abrupt end to their employment.

The latest drop in the number of Florida claims was reflective of the national trend. There were 185,625 filings across America last week. That’s down by 5,826 claims, which is a decrease of 3%. That’s a bigger drop than DOL analysts had projected. Economists with the agency thought there’d be a decline in claims, but only by 3,385, or 1.8%.

New claims are also down nationwide year to year. There were 200,637 initial filings for the comparable week in May 2025, which accounts for an 8.08% drop.

The latest weekly unemployment report comes as Florida has been struggling with an increasing unemployment rate this year. FloridaCommerce figures show the March unemployment rate was 4.7%. It’s the third month in a row the state jobless figure increased. The April figures are expected to be published within days.

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