Are You Worried About Your Job?

Florida's unemployment rate nudged higher in July to 8.8 percent, wth the state overall shedding 3,300 jobs.

Although the figure is only slightly higher than last month's 8.6 percent rate, economists expressed some disappointment that they are not seeing a rebound, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The jobless report was announced the same week that Tropicana, owned by PepsiCo, announced it planned to lay off a dozen workers at its orange juice plant in Bradenton. The company also said it could not rule that additional layoffs would follow in 2012.

According to TBO.com, state unemployment rates stayed at 8.6 percent in Juny and July. The figure is higher than the 8.3 percent posting in May.

July’s numbers, however, are significantly lower than the 10.6 percent unemployment rate Florida logged in 2011, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. That agency lists several states with unemployment rates much higher than Florida’s. Those that top the list for July 2012 are:

• California, 10.7 percent
• Georgia, 9.3 percent
• Nevada, 12 percent
• Rhode Island, 10.8
• South Carolina, 9.6 percent

How is unemployment in your town?