Jobless rate drops again

The unemployment rate is on a decline again in Franklin County, according to figure released Friday by the Alabama Department of Labor.

Gov. Kay Ivey announced Friday that Alabama’s July unemployment rate is 4.5 percent, down from June’s rate of 4.6 percent and well below July 2016’s rate of 5.8 percent. In Franklin County, the rate is down to 4.6 percent for July, as compared to 5 percent in June.

Although the figures are promising, the labor force number also dropped from June to July for Franklin – from 13,829 to 13,792, according to ADOL figures. However, employment did in fact increase, from 13,136 to 13,152.

“This month, there are fewer people unemployed than there have been in nearly 10 years,” Ivey said. “This is most welcome news. But even as our unemployment rate continues to decline, we must maintain our work to bring quality, high-paying, high-demand jobs to the state of Alabama.”

In Northwest Alabama, Franklin County posted the lowest unemployment rate.