With about 12 percent of Florida’s workers without a job, the Department of Management Services in an Annual Workforce Report issued Wednesday, December 8 finds that some state offices are hiring, reports FloridaToday.com. In order to handle all of the applications, the unemployment office in Florida is the only government office to see an increase in staff by 13 percent. The prison system is growing at a rate of 2.6 percent employment growth, and the Department of Children and Families saw a 3.2 percent growth in its workforce. The report puts Florida at the bottom of per-capita pay at $38 per resident, while the national average was $72 per citizen. Florida also ranked last in the nation with 117 full and part-time employees working in the state per 10,000 population, compared to 215 per 10,000 as a national average.
Florida state workers have not seen a pay raise in five years, and make less than private sector workers – on average $38,540 compared to $40,973. While Florida’s new governor plans to shrink state government, his is already the smallest and least expensive in the nation.
Florida Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation is governed by the laws of Florida to provide an injured worker with wage replacement to cover a disability, medical care, rehabilitation and in the case of an on-the-job fatality, a death benefit to survivors. Florida’s death benefit has been capped at $150,000, largely seen as a concession to business.
If you have been injured on-the-job, you may find that collecting workers’ compensation is held up by either the insurance company or your employer. In that case, the Florida workers’ compensation lawyers at Farah & Farah would be honored to stand by your side and make sure the system works as it is supposed to to bring you all of the compensation you deserve.