By MARY SELL, Alabama Daily News
For the fourth month in a row, Alabama’s unemployment rate held at 3.1%. That remained the rate in November, the Alabama Department of Labor announced Friday.
It was 4.7% in November 2020.
“Alabama is continuing to hold steady in regard to unemployment,” Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said. “We’re fortunate to not see large shifts in these numbers, even as other economic factors continue to experience pandemic related volatility. In November, more people joined the labor force, more people started working, and yet again, we recorded a new record high jobs count for 2021.”
According to ADOL, the civilian labor force increased by 6,474 in November, and the number of those counted as employed rose 5,661 to 2,149,935.
November’s rate represents 68,673 unemployed persons, compared to 67,860 in October and 105,558 in November 2020.
Wage and salary employment increased in November by 1,500 with trade, transportation and utilities, government and information sectors leading the growth.
Wage growth was also seen in the leisure and hospitality sector, which was heavily affected by the pandemic, Washington said.
In all, wages are up $31.70 a week over the year.
Counties with the lowest unemployment rates were: Shelby, 2%; Marshall, Cullman and Blount, 2.1%; and Limestone, Franklin, Dekalb, and Clay, 2.2%.
Counties with the highest unemployment rates were: Wilcox, 9.7%; Lowndes County,7.8%; and Perry, 7.3%.
Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates were: Athens, 1.7%; Homewood, 1.8%; and Alabaster, 1.9%.
Major cities with the highest unemployment rates were: Selma, 7.2%; Prichard, 6.6%; and Anniston, 5.3%.