Alabama experienced a job growth rate of 2.2 percent from December 2017 to December 2018, the largest over-the-year percentage growth on record.  This growth represents an increase of 44,300 jobs.

In Franklin County, the civilian labor force grew from 13,901 in December 2017 to 14,205 in December 2018, according to data from the Alabama Department of Labor.

“We are ending 2018 with great economic news all around,” said ADOL secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “To see this kind of record job growth is extraordinary.”

In terms of unemployment, Franklin County’s jobless rate rose slightly from November 2018 to December 2018, from 3.2 percent to 3.4 percent. The count of unemployed people increased from 463 to 481, and the count of employed people decreased from 13,892 to 13,724.