Alabama’s unemployment rate was unchanged in August at 2.1%, down from 2.6% in August 2022.
Meanwhile, the state’s labor participation rate was 57%, a slight increase from a year ago, Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said Friday morning.
The new rate represents 48,605 unemployed people, a new record low, compared to 48,789 in July and 60,200 in August 2022, according to Labor.
The number of people counted as employed increased by 32,631 over the year to a new record high of 2,259,025.
Over the year, wage and salary employment increased by 38,100 to 2,149,800 with gains in the leisure and hospitality, the private education and health services and the government sectors, among others.
“Yet again, we are announcing record breaking economic statistics this month,” Washington said in a written statement. “While our labor force participation rate remained unchanged, we are continuing to work with marginalized groups to get them into our labor force.”
As the unemployment rate has hit record lows in the last two years, officials have focused on the labor participation rate. The “prime-age” participation rate, which measures the labor force participation rate for individuals aged 25 to 54 remains 77.8% in Alabama.
Counties with the lowest unemployment rates in August were: Shelby, 1.8%; Morgan, Marshall, Madison, and Cullman, 2.0%; and St. Clair, Limestone, Elmore and Blount, 2.1%.
Counties with the highest unemployment rates were: Wilcox, 7.3%; Dallas, 5.5%; and Perry, 5%.
Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates were: Vestavia Hills, 1.6%; Alabaster, Homewood, Madison and Trussville, 1.7%; and Hoover 1.8%. Major cities with the highest unemployment rates were: Selma, 6.5%; Prichard, 4.9%; and Bessemer, 4%.