Birmingham regional employment reached 549,000 in July 2019, up 2.1 percent year-over-year — the highest such mark the Birmingham region has experienced since April 2012, according to the Birmingham Business Alliance.
The BBA quotes U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data that puts Birmingham eighth among peer metros in terms of job growth.
The region’s workforce is expanding slightly faster than employment, climbing to over 561,580 workers in July 2019, up 2.5 percent year-over-year. Since March, the region has experienced year-over-year labor force growth at or above 2 percent, levels of labor force growth not seen by the Birmingham region since 2010.
Birmingham’s unemployment rate is at 2.7 percent, beaten in the region only by Huntsville at 2.6 percent.
“Birmingham’s unemployment numbers are positive for the participating workforce,” said Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) Interim President and CEO Fred McCallum. “However, this low unemployment rate indicates a tightening labor market, emphasizing the importance of increased labor force participation and talent retention and attraction efforts.”
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