Jobless rate drops 1% in September

By Staff
Jason Cannon FCT Publisher
Franklin County's jobless rate dropped one full percent to 3.7-percent for the month of September – nearly five percentage points lower than highest in the state.
However, it is still high enough to keep the county in the top 50-percent for out of work residents.
Perry County's 8.5-percent is the state's leader for out of work Alabamians, while Shelby County's 2.2-percent is the state's lowest.
The state unemployment rate of 3.3 percent is still lower than the national rate, which was 4.6 percent for September. It's also tied for the lowest jobless rate in the last 30 years.
The unemployment rate in March 2006 was also 3.3 percent.
According to the state labor department, 8,100 more Alabamians found work during the month of September, which help decrease the state's jobless rate by .2-percent from August.
"Behind these numbers are real people who today are enjoying greater prosperity and more opportunity than ever before in Alabama," said Governor Bob Riley.
"The creation of thousands of new jobs continues to fuel Alabama's economic expansion. Thanks to our workers, our entrepreneurs and our aggressive pursuit of new jobs, Alabama has one of the strongest economies in the nation."
That ties the lowest unemployment rate recorded in the state since comparable records began being kept 30 years ago. A year ago, in September 2005, Alabama's unemployment rate was 4.0 percent.
September's rate represents 2,129,821 employed Alabamians and 73,706 unemployed Alabamians.
Over the past 12 months, additions in nonagricultural wage and salary employment totaled 26,000.