Montgomery, AL – Alabama's unemployment rate dropped to 7.6 percent in February for its seventh straight month of improvement.
State officials said Friday the jobless rate for last month was two-tenths of a percent better than the January number.
The statistics represent 162,939 unemployed people. That's an improvement from 167,588 the previous month and 204,496 a year ago.
The state says wage and salary employment increased by 13,700 positions. The gains came mainly in the leisure and hospitality industry; construction; and the professional and business services industry.
Alabama's jobless rate has been on a steady decline since hitting a high of 10 percent in July.
The improvement means people are no longer eligible for extended jobless benefits. The new maximum length of time on unemployment is 73 weeks, down from 99 weeks.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)