By MARY SELL, Alabama Daily News
For a fifth consecutive month, Alabama’s unemployment rate was 3.1% in December.
It was 4.7% in December 2020 and a record-low 2.7% in pre-pandemic December 2019.
December’s rate represents 69,854 unemployed persons, compared to 68,710 in November and 106,318 in December 2020, Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said in a press release this morning.
“For five months now, our unemployment rate has held steady at 3.1%,” Washington said. “We all know of the challenges facing today’s workforce, most of which are still pandemic related, and we’re grateful that Alabama is weathering these challenges. Since last year, more than 36,000 people are no longer counted as unemployed, and we saw more than 7,000 additional people shift to the employed column since last month.”
Over the year, wage and salary employment increased 48,400, with gains in several sectors including, trade, transportation and utilities, leisure and hospitality and manufacturing.
“We continue to see improvement in our wages as well,” Washington said.
Total private weekly wages were $973.41 in December, representing a $26.65 yearly increase.
Counties with the lowest unemployment rates were: Shelby and Cullman, 1.8%, Marshall and Blount, 1.9%; and Limestone, Dekalb, Clay, and Cherokee, 2%.
Counties with the highest unemployment rates were: Wilcox, 10.3%; Lowndes, 8.4%; and Perry at 7.2%.
Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates were: Athens, 1.4%; Alabaster, 1.7%; and Homewood, Madison, and Vestavia Hills, 1.8%.
Major cities with the highest unemployment rates were: Selma, 8.1%; Prichard, 6.9%; and Anniston, 5.1%.