Montgomery, AL – Alabama's industrial relations director says the tornadoes in late April are a major factor in the state's unemployment rate rising to 9.6 percent.
Director Tom Surtees says the May rate represents about 7,000 more people out of work than in April, when the jobless rate was 9.3 percent.
Surtees says impact of the April 27 tornadoes was not reflected in the April rate because the measurements of joblessness had already been done when the storms hit. More than 6,400 Alabamians have filed storm-related claims for unemployment benefits.
Surtees says another factor in the state's rise is an increase in the national unemployment rate to 9.1 percent.
Across the state, Wilcox County has the highest unemployment at 21.7 percent and Shelby County has the lowest at 6.9 percent.
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