Alabama’s unemployment rate has stayed steady at the historically low rate of 2.6%, Gov. Kay Ivey announced today.
The seasonally adjusted July unemployment rate remained unchanged from June’s rate of 2.6%, well below July 2021’s rate of 3.4%. July’s rate represents 59,419 unemployed persons, a new record low, compared to 60,307 in June and 77,076 in July 2021.
“Alabama’s historically low unemployment rate keeps holding strong, all while we continue breaking other new records. Today, I consider one of the best numbers to be that we, once again, have more people working than ever before,” said Ivey. “We will not relent on our efforts. We will continue working hard to support businesses as they seek more employees, while also connecting folks in our workforce with existing resources to ensure they are highly skilled and well-equipped.”
Shelby County has the lowest unemployment rate at 2.1%, followed closely by Marshall, Cullman, St. Clair, Limestone, Clay and Blount.
Pockets of the state range somewhat higher.
Black Belt counties including Wilcox, Perry, Lowndes, Dallas, Greene and Clarke are all above 6%. Wilcox has an 11.3% rate.
And the cities of Prichard and Selma are as high as 7.5% and 9.4% respectively — but even those cities are down a full percentage point from this time last year.
Sectors seeing the biggest employment increase are construction, education, health services and manufacturing, state figures show.
“Alabama’s record-low unemployment rate is continuing to hold steady, and we are continuing to see other record-breaking employment statistics, month after month,” said Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “People are working in Alabama in record numbers, and employers are adding jobs in nearly all major industry sectors, gaining more than 34,000 jobs since last year. Wages are increasing in Alabama as well. We’re seeing the second highest weekly wage rate in history, an increase of nearly $28 per week.”
