UPDATE: Unemployment highest since February

PANAMA CITY — More people are joining the ranks of the unemployed in Bay County.

New numbers show Bay County’s rate was 8.8 percent in August, 9.1 percent in September and 9.5 percent in October. About 8,258 are unemployed in the county, according to statistics from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. The increase month to month isn’t huge, but there are still not enough jobs, said Kim Bodine, Gulf Coast Workforce Board executive director.

“We still are seeing tons of job seekers,” Bodine said. “Until our economy recovers, job seekers will outnumber the amount of job available and the unemployment rate will fluctuate some.”

The area lost jobs in nearly every sector this year except for tourism, which grew by about 200 jobs. However, 2008 was a grim year, with severe job losses in tourism and other areas, Bodine said.

Bay County’s increasing unemployment rate might be seasonal, Bodine said. Tourism starts declining in October, and some businesses close temporarily.

The rate has to change by several points to be significant, said Rebecca Rust, state Agency for Workforce Innovation chief economist. Bay County’s rate is flat, Bodine wrote in a news release, but the number is creeping up slowly, statistics show.

Bay County is the same as the U.S. rate, which remained flat from September. Florida held steady this month, too, at 11.2 percent. Economists predict unemployment to peak the second quarter of next year at 11.4 percent. The recovery will be slower in Florida than previous recessions because credit remains tight, Rust said.

Bay County’s rate remains lower than some other Panhandle counties, including Washington (9.8) and Gulf (9.9). Counties with lower rates tend to have employment in government jobs, including the military and universities. Areas relying heavily on industry and agriculture have higher unemployment rates, Rust said.

Most economists say Florida is starting to recover. Bodine said local manufacturing jobs are beginning to pick up. Rust said economists continue to watch foreclosure rates, which might rise with unemployment.

“No one has really expected to have the downturn last so long or be as severe as it is,” Rust said.

By the numbers

Below are the unemployment rates (by percent) from October 2009, September 2009 and October 2008:

Bay: 9.5, 9.1, 6.1

Calhoun: 8.5, 8.4, 5.2

Franklin: 7.8, 7.1, 4.6

Gulf: 9.9, 9.8, 6.5

Holmes: 7.5, 7.3, 5.2

Walton: 7.3, 6.8, 4.8

Washington: 9.8, 9.6, 6.6