In a press release today, Governor Kay Ivey and Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington announced that Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted June unemployment rate is 4.6%. That puts Alabama very close to the national unemployment rate, which currently sits at 4.4%
The June number is down from the 4.9% reported in May and is significantly lower than June 2016’s 5.8%. There were a reported 100,376 unemployed persons in June compared to 107,223 in May. The June numbers boast 2,077,275 employed people, which is well above the 2,040,370 reported a year ago. Secretary Washington rejoiced at these numbers saying,
“For the third month in a row, we can report that our wage and salary employment is topping two million jobs. This has been a milestone we’ve strived to reach for years, and is an excellent indicator of economic health.”
Alabama’s yearly job growth rate is currently at 1.8%, the highest it has been in 11 years. Gains have been seen in the leisure and hospitality sector, the professional and business services sector, and the educational and health services sector.
Vestavia Hills and Hoover have some of the lowest unemployment rates at 3.2% and 3.4% respectively. While cities such as Prichard and Selma have the highest unemployment at around 10.1%.
In her press release, Governor Ivey was pleased with the recent economic report and promised to continue to find ways to put Alabamians back to work.
“Alabama’s unemployment continues to drop, and our economy continues to add jobs. As of now, we are only two-tenths of a percentage point away from catching up to the national unemployment rate. Even though our numbers our improving, I continue to pledge to work even harder to make sure that any Alabamian who wants a job can find one.”
Many attribute Alabama’s recent economic improvement to its ever-growing manufacturing sector. In 2016, the state ranked third in the nation in manufacturing employment growth. As a right-to-work state, Alabama has continued to see increased competition for these well paying jobs.
The state’s online job’s database has been very successful in helping thousands of Alabamians find employment. To register, you can visit http://www.joblink.alabama.gov
