Alabama jobless rate matches all-time low of 2.9%
Alabama’s unemployment rate decreased slightly in March to 2.9%, matching the all-time low from the period before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the state said Friday. The preliminary, seasonally adjusted jobless rate declined from 3% in February and was well below the March 2021 rate of 3.7%. It matched the state’s previous record low unemployment rate of 2.9% in September 2019. The March rate represented about 65,500 unemployed people compared to about 82,400 in March 2021, according to a statement from the governor’s office. Wage and salary employment increased by 40,100 positions over the year, with the largest hikes in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, followed by hospitality. Shelby County in metro Birmingham had the state’s lowest jobless rate at 1.7% followed by Cullman County in north-central Alabama at 1.8%. Wilcox County, located in rural west Alabama, had the worst unemployment rate, 8.8%. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Fitzgerald Washington: 2019 Economic Wrap-Up
Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington discusses the strength of Alabama’s economy.
Alabama breaks employment record for fourth consecutive month
More than 2.1 million people were working in Alabama in August, which breaks the previous employment record for the fourth consecutive month. That’s according to a Friday-announcement made by Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “For four months in a row now, we’ve been breaking employment records,” Washington said. “Thirty-two thousand more Alabamians are working now than last year. We’ve also seen our labor force grow by 37,000, meaning more people have confidence in the economy and their ability to find a job – and the majority of those have found work, which is great news.” 2,112,274 Alabamians were counted as employed in August 2018, up from 2,105,577 in July, and up 32,101 from August 2017’s count of 2,080,173. The civilian labor force, which is composed of people who are working or looking for work, increased over the year by 36,929, up to 2,203,485, compared to August 2017’s count of 2,166,556. “Our jobs count continues to remain well above two million. The sectors that are experiencing the most yearly growth are sectors with traditionally high wages, like professional and business services, manufacturing, and construction,” Washington continued. “In fact, professional and business services employment, which includes high paying occupations like Financial Managers, Software Developers, and Engineers, is at a record high.” Professional and Business Services employment currently measures 252,100, the highest level ever experienced. Average hourly wages for selected occupations in this sector include: General and Operations Managers at $59.46/hr. Software Developers, Applications at $45.36/hr. Database Administrators at $40.64/hr. Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted August unemployment rate is 4.1 percent, unchanged from July’s rate, and slightly above August 2017’s rate of 4.0 percent. August’s rate represents 91,211 unemployed persons, compared to 90,928 in July and 86,383 in August 2017. In August, 64 of 67 counties saw their unemployment rates decrease or remain unchanged, 25 of 26 major cities, and all metros saw either a decrease or no change in their rates from July to August. Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County at 3.1 percent Cullman County at 3.4 percent Marshall County at 3.5 percent Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County at 10.0 percent Clarke County at 8.1 percent Lowndes County at 7.9 percent Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Vestavia Hills at 2.8 percent Homewood, Hoover, and Alabaster at 3.0 percent Madison at 3.2 percent Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Selma at 8.2 percent Prichard at 7.3 percent Bessemer at 5.5 percent
Alabama’s October unemployment rate falls to all-time record low
Alabama’s unemployment rate figures for October are in, and the state has officially reached the lowest rate it’s ever had. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey made the announcement Friday morning that according to the preliminary, seasonally adjusted numbers, October unemployment rate was 3.6%, down from September’s previous record-tying rate of 3.8%, and well below October 2016’s rate of 6.1%. “We had great news last month, when we announced that Alabama’s unemployment rate had tied its lowest ever. Today, our news is even bigger! Alabama’s unemployment rate has dropped even more, registering a new record low!” Ivey exclaimed in a statement. “What we are doing is working, and as a result, the people of Alabama are working.” October’s rate represents 77,358 unemployed persons, the lowest number ever recorded, compared to 82,562 in September and 133,875 in October 2016. Ivey continued, “Additionally, today’s numbers show that we currently have the fewest number of unemployed people in history, measuring some 77,000; but that means 77,000 Alabamians, men and women, are still without work. I will persist in my efforts to put every Alabamian who wants to work in a good paying job by recruiting high-wage, high-skill industries to Alabama.” “As we continue to see our unemployment rate drop, Alabama’s businesses continue to hire and support real jobs in our economy,” said Fitzgerald Washington, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor. “Our wage and salary employment figures are currently at the third highest level since we began keeping records. There are nearly 30,000 more jobs today than there were in October of last year. Through job fairs and the services provided at our Career Centers located throughout the state, we are helping employers find the employees they are looking for.” Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County: 2.6% Marshall, Madison, Lee, and Cullman Counties: 3.0% Tuscaloosa and Elmore Counties: 3.1% Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County: 8.9% Clarke County: 6.6% Lowndes County: 6.4% Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Alabaster, Homewood and Vestavia Hills: 2.4% Hoover: 2.6% Madison: 2.7% Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Prichard and Selma: 6.5% Anniston: 4.9% Bessemer: 4.8%
Alabama’s August unemployment rate falls to 4.2%
Alabama’s unemployment rate has dropped below the national average for the first time since October 2013. Governor Kay Ivey‘s office said Friday the seasonally adjusted jobless rate for August was 4.2 percent, down from the July rate of 4.5 percent. “After hovering near the national unemployment rate for several months, Alabama’s rate has dropped below it for the first time in many years,” Ivey said. “This is a milestone we’ve been working toward for some time. We announced this week that Autocar, LLC. is opening a new plant in Birmingham, bringing nearly 750 new jobs. As we continue to recruit new businesses to Alabama, hopefully, we’ll be able to maintain that achievement in the months to come.” August’s rate represents 90,913 unemployed persons, compared to 96,158 in July. The last time the number of unemployed was at or below 90,913 was in August 2007, when it measured 89,206. And 2,057,109 were counted as employed, compared to 2,063,900 in July. “In August, we had the lowest number of unemployed in a decade,” added Secretary of Labor Fitzgerald Washington. “We continue to see increases in the number of jobs our economy is supporting, almost doubling economists’ projected job gains for the entire year within the first eight months.” All counties, major cities, and metropolitan statistical areas experienced drops in their unemployment rates, both over the year and over the month. Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County at 3.2% Cullman County at 3.6% Elmore, Madison, and Marshall Counties at 3.7% Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County at 11.3% Clarke County at 8.6% Greene County at 7.8%. Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Vestavia Hills at 2.8%, Homewood at 2.9% Alabaster at 3.0% Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Selma at 8.3% Prichard at 8.0% Bessemer at 5.6%.
Alabama’s unemployment rate drops to 4.5% in July
Alabama’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.5% last month, down from 4.6% in June, according to data released Friday morning by Governor Kay Ivey. “This month, there are fewer people unemployed than there have been in nearly 10 years. This is most welcome news. But even as our unemployment rate continues to decline, we must maintain our work to bring quality, high-paying, high-demand jobs to the state of Alabama. This is a goal I’m committed to, and I intend to continue doing just that,” Ivey said. July’s rate represents 96,251 unemployed persons, compared to 100,187 in June. The number of people counted as unemployed is down 29,931 from this time last year. The last time this measurement was at or below July’s level was in November 2007, when it measured 95,445. “In addition to this being the lowest unemployment rate Alabama has seen since January 2008, we also continue to see yearly growth in many of Alabama’s industries, including manufacturing and construction,” said Secretary of Labor Fitzgerald Washington. “Upticks in manufacturing and construction jobs are indicative of positive economic growth.” Sectors gaining jobs included leisure and hospitality, where employment was up by 12,500, and the professional and business services sector increased by 7,200, the manufacturing sector, which saw a 6,700 increase, and the construction sector, which gained 4,900. Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County: 3.5% Cullman and Baldwin Counties: 4.0% Marshall and Elmore Counties: 4.1% Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County: 13.5% Perry County: 10.8% Clarke County: 10.2%. Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Vestavia Hills: 2.9% Homewood and Hoover: 3.3% Alabaster: 3.4% Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Selma: 10.9% Prichard: 9.7% Anniston: 6.5%
Alabama unemployment rate drops to 6.2 percent
The Alabama unemployment rate dropped two tenths of a point in February compared with the previous month. According to its preliminary unemployment estimates the Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) reports 13,205 seasonally-adjusted jobs were added in the private sector last month, which is 30,728 more people employed than February one year ago. That change drops the state’s January unemployment rate of 6.4% down to 6.2%. “We are once again announcing that we have more people working in Alabama than have been over the last eight years,” said ADOL Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “The labor force continues to grow, showing that jobseekers have confidence in our economy and are willing to enter the job market. Wage and salary employment is fewer than 20,000 jobs away from reaching the two million-mark milestone. We aren’t exactly where we need to be yet, but we are surely getting there.” Alabama’s civilian labor force measured 2,203,868 in February, the highest it’s been since June 2011, when it measured 2,202,354. “All of our counties and metros saw their rates drop this month, and 57 counties and 11 metros saw over-the -year declines,” continued Washington. Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County: 4.5% Elmore County: 5.0% Madison and Lee Counties: 5.2% Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County: 14.9% Clarke County: 11.2% Lowndes County: 10.7% Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Vestavia Hills: 4.0% Homewood: 4.1% Hoover: 4.3% Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Selma: 10.8% Prichard: 10.3% Bessemer: 8.5%.
Even as state adds jobs, Alabama unemployment rate rises to 6.4 percent
The unemployment rate in Alabama has ticked up slightly, even as the state added 6,500 jobs in January. The Alabama Department of Labor said Monday the January rate increased by one percentage point, to 6.4 percent. The department noted that despite the increase, the state still has more people working than it has in eight years. “Our unemployment rate rose because nearly 10,000 more people entered the labor force last month, and about 6,500 of them found work,” said Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “The others remain unemployed. When you have an increase in the labor force, and all of those people aren’t able to find work, you will see up an uptick in the rate.” Washington continued, “However, there is good news in this month’s economic report. We continue to surpass our employment numbers each month, and once again, I can say that we currently have more people working in Alabama than there have been in more than eight years. Our labor force is larger than it has been in more than five years.” Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Vestavia Hills: 3.7% Homewood: 3.9% Hoover: 4.0% Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Selma: 10.2% Prichard: 9.5%, Bessemer: 8.9%.
Alabama unemployment rate lowest since 2008
Alabama’s total unemployment rate continued to fall in August, dropping to 5.7 percent from the June rate of 6.1 percent, according to data released Friday by Gov. Robert Bentley‘s office. July’s rate represents 123,095 unemployed persons, compared to 130,298 in June and 130,098 in July 2015. “We continue to see decreases in Alabama’s unemployment rate, and increases in both of our employment measures over the year, which is a testament to the strong economic development efforts we have prioritized,” Bentley said in a news release. “We haven’t seen an unemployment rate this low in eight years. Not only did the rate decrease since last month, there are also nearly 28,000 more people working this year than there were last year.” “July registered the fewest number of unemployed people since 2008 and the good news also trickled down to the counties this month as well,” Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said. All major Alabama cities, metro areas, and 66 Alabama counties experienced drops in the unemployment rate. Fitzgerald continued, “Every county in Alabama saw its rate decrease over the month, and 66 of 67 counties saw their rates decrease over the year, some by more than two percentage points. This is excellent news!” Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County: 4.2% Elmore County:4.7% Baldwin County: 4.8% Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County: 14.3% Perry County: 12.1% Clarke County: 11.4%
State’s February unemployment rate holds fast at 6.2 percent
Gov. Robert Bentley said Friday that Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate had held steady at 6.2 percent, though the unadjusted rate is 6.5 percent. “The momentum that we are seeing in our employment numbers continues to be encouraging,” Bentley said in a news release. “Our mission to provide all Alabamians with a job remains my top priority. The growth that we are consistently seeing, combined with the regular announcements of new jobs coming to the state, is helping us to achieve that goal. Our economy is supporting 106,900 more jobs now than when I took office in January 2011. But there’s still a lot of work to do, and I remain committed to doing that work.” “No change in the unemployment rate is good news this month,” Alabama Department of Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald Washington said in the press release. “We continue to see high numbers of employed people, which again is topping 2 million. We have consistently seen over 2 million employed people for 21 straight months. Additionally, a high number of people are in the workforce, which tells us that people are confident in the labor market. People haven’t shown this level of confidence in the job market in over three years.” The release notes that, according to the Current Population Survey (CPS), the number of people employed in February was 2,033,386, the highest number since August 2008. In all, 2,167,723 Alabamians are employed, the highest number since October 2012. Wage and salary employment came in at just over 1.9 million, the highest number since February 2008, an increase of more than 24,000. Significant increases were shown in the education and health services sector (+5,900), the trade, transportation, and utilities sector (+5,400), and the professional and business services sector (+5,000), among others. The state’s lowest unemployment rates were seen in Shelby County (4.7 percent), Elmore County (5.4 percent), and Lee County (5.5 percent). Despite an unchanging unemployment rate and significant gains in certain sectors, several Alabama counties are still experiencing unemployment rates at or above 10 percent: Clarke County (12.5 percent), Greene County (10.8 percent), Lowndes County (11.4 percent), Monroe County (10.7 percent), Perry County (10.1 percent), and Wilcox County (15.4 percent). In all, 52 of Alabama’s 67 counties are at or above the state’s current unemployment rate, with 22 above 7.5 percent.
Alabama unemployment ticks up to 6 percent right before holidays
Alabama’s unemployment rate is up slightly from a month ago. Labor statistics released Friday show the state’s jobless rate rose one-10th of a percent to 6 percent in November. A statement from Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald Washington says the increase isn’t necessarily bad news because it indicates more people are entering the workforce. The state’s jobless rate is the same as a year ago at 6 percent. But the state unemployment rate is still 1 percentage point above the national rate of 5 percent. Shelby County in metro Birmingham has the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 4 percent. Wilcox County in western Alabama has the highest unemployment at 13.5 percent. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama unemployment rate drops to 6%
Alabama’s unemployment rate has dropped to 6 percent. The governor’s office said Friday the seasonally adjusted jobless rate for September was 6 percent, down from the August rate of 6.2 percent. The number is a slight improvement from the same time last year, when Alabama’s unemployment rate was 6.3 percent. However, Alabama is still well above the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.1 percent. Unemployment is lowest in Shelby County, which had a September jobless rate of 4.1 percent. Wilcox County has the highest unemployment rate of 15 percent. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
