Jobs numbers show historic jump up, unemployment down

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June 5, 2020

The nation’s unemployment rate dropped in May, while Alabama saw its fewest unemployment claims in nearly three months.

The U.S. Department of Labor released it May jobs report on Friday. The report showed that the U.S. economy added 2.5 million jobs in May, a jump which amounted to the largest increase on record.

Meanwhile, the Alabama Department of Labor reported 20,786 unemployment claims had been filed for the week ending on May 30. This was the lowest number of claims filed in a week since early-March.

In a statement to Yellowhammer News, Governor Kay Ivey reacted to the latest jobs numbers by expressing her optimism for a strong economic recovery.

“While the past few months have been difficult, our state and nation are beginning to bounce back,” Ivey said. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have emphasized the need for us to strike a balance between protecting people’s personal health during this health crisis and their jobs – simply, you cannot have a life without livelihood. President Trump has provided solid leadership during a time that no one could have fully prepared for, and because of that, our nation is beginning to bounce back. He is charging the states with opening again in a smart and safe way, and we are doing just that in Alabama. We still have more work to do on both the health and economic sides, but we will exhaust all efforts to ensure Alabama is back on her feet.”

Citing states, like Alabama, which reopened their economies earlier this spring, U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia outlined his belief that conditions are now favorable for sustained growth.

“There is an opportunity to return millions upon millions [of people to work] in the next few weeks,” he told Fox News.

Scalia expects a full recovery to be well underway before the end of the year.

“I think we can make a lot of headway this year,” he remarked. “I think we can start now. We’re seeing it.”

The national unemployment rate dropped to 13.3% in May. Fox News reported that some economists had expected the unemployment rate to surge to nearly 20%. Construction, manufacturing, healthcare and retail all saw significant increases in employment last month, a sign that the economy could be rebounding more quickly than expected.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter early on Friday morning to share his thoughts.