Ala’s Unemployment Rate Down While Nation’s Rate is Up

    Alabama’s unemployment rate declined to
4.9 percent in August.

    State Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees said the rate
was down from 5.1 percent recorded in July.

    The national jobless rate also rose to 6.1 percent in August,
compared to 5.7 percent in July.

    Surtee said the Alabama figure represented 3,800 fewer
unemployed people.

    Alabama counties with the lowest unemployment rates were Shelby
at 3.6 percent, Madison at 3.8 percent. Blount and Baldwin counties
had jobless rates of 4.1 and 4.2 percent respectively.

    The highest jobless rates were in Chambers at 14.3 percent,
Wilcox at 13.4 percent and Bullock with 12.2 percent.
Industrial Relations labor market information at
http://dir.al.alabama.gov