MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's unemployment rate is up substantially to 3.5%, and it will go even higher because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Statistics released by the state on Friday show the state's jobless rate has increased in March from the record-low 2.7% in February.
While that's bad enough, the report notes that the full impact of the COVID-19 shutdown isn't included since most closings and layoffs happened after statistics were gathered. That means the April numbers will be worse.
The March jobless rate reflects a loss of more than 24,000 jobs as efforts to stop the spread of the virus were taking hold.
