Florida's unemployment rate rose 0.3 percent in September, the state reported Friday, bringing the rate to 7.6 percent on the eve of an election where the economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis is playing a prominent role.

The unemployment rate had approached 14 percent at the height of last spring's outbreak, with 2.5 million Floridians applying for unemployment benefits between March and June. As companies began rehiring in the late spring and early summer, the rate shot down, declining four percentage points between July and August.

But Friday's data is an indication the recovery could be stalling at a time when unemployment remains stubbornly high by historical standards. More than three-quarters of a million Floridians are currently out of work.