Alabama jobless rate dips to record 2.8 percent
Alabama’s unemployment rate has dropped to a record 2.8 percent. A statement released Friday by the state labor agency says the preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was down two-tenths of a percent from 3 percent in September. That’s 1 percentage point better than the jobless rate from a year ago, and it’s well below the national employment rate of 3.6 percent. The state has gained about 60,000 jobs this year in the civilian workforce. Officials say the improvement came as Alabama’s manufacturing plants reached a 10-year high for employment. Manufacturing employment grew to 271,600 jobs, and the professional and business services segment has a record-high 259,700 jobs. Shelby County in metro Birmingham has the state’s lowest jobless rate at 1.8 percent. Wilcox County in rural western Alabama is highest at 6.3 percent. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama unemployment rate unchanged in July
Alabama’s unemployment rate is unchanged from last month. State officials said Friday the July jobless rate was 4.1 percent, the same as it was in June. That rate is also the same as it was in July of last year. It is higher than the national unemployment rate of 3.9 percent. However, the Alabama Department of Labor says the number of people working is at a record high. More than 2.1 million people are now working in the state. Shelby County in metro Birmingham has the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.1 percent, followed by Cullman County at 3.5 percent. Wilcox County had the highest unemployment rate at 11.2 percent. Clarke County followed at 9.1 percent. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama unemployment near flat at 6% in November
Alabama’s unemployment rate was 6 percent for the month of November, down from 6.2 and 6.1 percent in recent months but slightly up from a seasonally adjusted 5.9 percent in October, according to new figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The office of Gov. Robert Bentley celebrated the news in a release Friday, saying recent employment growth has reached just 25,000 jobs short of prerecession levels. “We are coming closer and closer to hitting that golden wage and salary employment number of 2 million jobs,” Bentley said. “We are less than 25,000 jobs shy of attaining pre-recession employment levels in Alabama. We haven’t seen wage and salary employment at 2 million since June 2008, prior to the recession’s effects in our state. Our economy is strong, and my goal is that every Alabamian who wants a job can obtain one.” The Bentley administration also put a positive spin on the marginal increase over October’s jobless numbers. “The very slight uptick in November’s unemployment rate is due to the fact that more people entered the workforce, perhaps looking for seasonal employment,” said Alabama Labor Department Commissioner Fitzgerald Washington. “Additionally, more people are employed both over the month and over the year, so this small increase is not necessarily bad news.” According to the governor’s office, the Civilian Labor Force (CLF) increased in November to 2,146,294 from 2,141,221 in October and from 2,130,131 in November 2014 (seasonally adjusted). CLF employment also increased to 2,018,189 from 2,014,056 in October and from 1,999,222 in November 2014. Wage and salary employment increased in November by 12,800 to 1,975,700. Monthly gains were seen in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector (+9,100), the education and health services sector (+2,800), and the government sector (+1,800), among others, according to a release. These numbers correspond to the statewide jobs market, though some rural counties continue to lag behind state and national averages. The hardest-hit counties in Alabama? Wilcox County at 13.5 percent, Lowndes County at 10.6 percent, Clarke at 10.5 percent, and Greene at 10.1 percent. Those are the only counties with double-digit jobless rates. Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are Shelby County at 4.0 percent, Lee County at 4.7 percent, and Elmore, Cullman, and St. Clair counties at 4.8 percent.
Alabama jobless rate dips to 5.9 percent
Alabama’s unemployment rate is down slightly. The governor’s office said Friday the state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate for October was 5.9 percent. That’s down one-tenth of a point from 6 percent in September. Last month’s rate is also below the jobless rate from a year ago by two-tenths of a percent. Employment increased by 7,200 jobs, with more than half the gain coming in the government sector. There were also increases in the professional and business services area, plus the trade and transportation sector. Total wage and salary employment in the state now stands at 1.97 million jobs. That’s the highest since November 2008 at the outset of the great recession. Wilcox County has the state’s highest unemployment rate at 13.3 percent. Shelby County is lowest at 4 percent. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama unemployment rate at 6.1 percent, unchanged in June
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Alabama remains at 6.1 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gov. Robert Bentley announced the findings this afternoon, and offered his thoughts on the state’s slow, though consistent, economic recovery. “Even though our unemployment rate remained unchanged this month, we are pleased that since January 2011, our month over month growth in wage and salary employment, a trend that began in January 2011, continues,” Bentley said in a prepared statement. “Today, there are almost 75,000 more jobs in Alabama than there were in June 2011. This is good news for Alabamians who are looking to find a job.” The figures were particularly bright in Shelby County, where the rate is as low as 4.6 percent of the workforce looking for a job. Wilcox County continues to bear the worst of the economic downtown, as unemployment there was recorded at more at 16.1 percent in June. The governor’s office touted gains in a handful of key staple sectors of the economy in particular. “Over the year, wage and salary employment increased by 23,600 to 1,952,800, with gains in the education and health services sector (+6,800), the leisure and hospitality sector (+4,900), and the construction sector (+4,000), among others,” read a Friday announcement. Summer poses additional problems for policymakers seeking to decrease joblessness, added Fitzgerald Washington, the state’s Labor Commissioner. “The June unemployment rate continues to reflect what we saw last month,” Washington said. “It is not uncommon to see unemployment rise or remain steady during the summer months, usually as a result of an increase in the labor force as students and graduates search for work, and teachers and other school employees are not employed.” The announcement included the silver lining amid mixed economic news that all 67 of Alabama’s counties have lower rates of unemployment than usual at this time of year.
