Alabama’s unemployment rate for September was 3.1%. That’s unchanged from August but less than half of what it was at the same time last year during the pandemic. The Alabama Department of Labor says the jobless rate for September represented almost 70,000 people without jobs statewide. That’s down from the over 147,000 on the unemployment lines in September 2020. The agency says industries that were hard-hit by the pandemic are making gains, including the leisure and hospitality sector. Shelby County had the state's lowest unemployment rate at 1.8%, followed by Cullman County north of Birmingham at 2%. Wilcox County in rural western Alabama had the state's highest jobless rate at nearly 10%. Nationally, the U.S. Labor Department says unemployment claims dropped by 6,000. That’s the lowest jobless numbers in the country since mid-March of 2020. The agency credits Alabama with one of largest decreases in State employment claims for the week ending October 9th.
Alabama jobless rate unchanged from August, but still better than last year
Pixabay
