Governor Ivey announced today that Alabama’s preliminary September unemployment rate is 3.8%, matching the rate of April 2007, which is the lowest rate in recorded history.
This is down from August’s rate of 4.2%, and well below September 2016’s rate of 6.0%.
Governor Ivey released a statement on this milestone, stating:
“We’ve been working extremely hard over the past six months to bring Alabama’s unemployment rate down, and today’s news shows that our efforts are paying off. This is truly a historic day, as we announce that Alabama’s unemployment rate is the lowest it has ever been. When it comes to job creation, we are doing the right thing and momentum is on our side in Alabama. But, we won’t let up and we will continue recruiting new businesses and encouraging existing firms to expand. We can’t and won’t slow down just because we’ve reached this milestone.”
2,068,594 people were counted as employed in September, compared to 2,057,360 in August, and 2,045,762 in September 2016. September’s rate represents 82,678 unemployed persons, compared to 90,756 in August and 131,201 in September 2016.
Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington added:
“Nearly 23,000 more people are working now than last year and the number of unemployed is down by almost 50,000. Those numbers represent real workers, with real families, and indicate real progress in our economy. Alabama’s employers continue to add jobs, supporting more than 2,011,000 positions this month, beating yearly job growth projections by 28,400 only nine months into the year. We remain hopeful that this wonderful progress continues throughout the rest of the year.”
Wage and salary employment increased in September by 7,100 people. Monthly gains were seen in the government sector (+5,900), the trade, transportation, and
Industries showing gains included the government sector (+5,900), trade, transportation, utilities (+2,800), and construction sector (+1,200), to name a few. Over the past year, wage and salary employment increased 28,400, with gains in the leisure and hospitality sector (+7,400), the professional and business services sector (+6,600), and the construction sector (+6,300), among others.
“All 67 counties experienced drops in their unemployment rates, both over the year and over the month, and for the first time in a decade, no county has a rate in the double digits,” said Washington.
Counties with the lowest unemployment rates include Shelby County at 2.4%, Marshall and Cullman at 2.8%, and Madison, Lee, and Elmore Counties at 2.9%.
Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Vestavia Hills at 2.2%, Alabaster and Homewood at 2.3%, and Hoover at 2.4%.
Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are Selma at 7.0%, Prichard at 6.4%, and Bessemer at 4.7%.
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