Alabama unemployment drops to 3.1%, down from 7.1% a year earlier

Alabama’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.1% in August, according to new data released on Friday by Gov. Kay Ivey’s office.

That number is down from both the July rate of 3.2% and the August 2020 rate of 7.1%.

“Alabama continues our streak of dropping unemployment, getting more of our people back to work and able to provide for their families, and we are seeing our jobs count and wages consistently rise,” Ivey said in a release accompanying the announced numbers. “Employers in Alabama have jobs to fill, and they’re doing so at a good pace. We’re proud of the progress Alabama is making as we continue to overcome the challenges we faced due to the pandemic. Alabama is working again, and we know our work is not done yet.”

According to the Alabama Department of Labor, earnings also rose to $993.35 in August, up from $980.56 in July and $942.57 in August 2020.

“We are working hard every day to reach out to those employers who still need assistance in finding employees, while at the same time working to reach those who are still looking for work, or those who are looking to advance their careers,” Alabama Secretary of Labor Fitzgerald Washington also said in a statement accompanying the release. “Right now is a great time to search for a job, as wages have once again hit a new record high in Alabama. Both employers and jobseekers can obtain free services by visiting any of our local career centers. We’re here to help in any way we can.”

Leading the way by counties for low unemployment numbers was Shelby County at 2.1%. It was followed by Cullman County at 2.3%, and Marshall, Limestone and Blount Counties at 2.4%.

The county with the highest unemployment rates was Wilcox County at 11.1%, followed by Lowndes County at 9.2% and Perry County at 9.0%.

Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates were Alabaster, Homewood and Vestavia Hills at 2.0%, Hoover and Madison at 2.2% and Athens at 2.4%.

The cities with the highest unemployment rates were Selma at 9.1%, Prichard at 8.8% and Bessemer at 6.2%.

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.