Unemployment dips by 0.5 percent in Franklin County

According to information released by the Alabama Department of Labor Friday, for the fourth month in a row, more people are working in Alabama than ever before.

In April, preliminary estimates account for 2,139,379 people working, up by 32,335 from the same time a year ago and up 6,739 from March.
In Franklin County, the ADOL reports 14,036 people employed in April – an increase of 100 people compared to March’s count of 13,936.

On the other side of the coin, the state reports 447 people unemployed in Franklin County in April, as compared to 516 unemployed in March. That equates to a 3.1 percent unemployment rate in April, as compared to 3.6 percent in March.

Statewide, the number of jobs supported by the economy reached a record high, measuring 2,075,500 in April, representing and an increase of 10,800 from March, according to the state report.

“Employment has once again reached record levels,” said Secretary of Labor Fitzgerald Washington. “Our economy is supporting more jobs than ever before, and more people are in the labor force than ever before. Those that are entering the labor force are finding work. The jobs are out there, and we’re working harder than even before to make sure that everyone who wants a job, has one.”

Franklin County boasts the lowest unemployment of all surrounding counties, with Lauderdale and Lawrence coming in at 3.5 percent, Winston at 3.9, Marion at 4 percent and Colbert at 4.2 percent. All adjacent counties enjoyed a decrease in the unemployment rate from March to April.

“Average weekly earnings are also up, both over-the-month and over-the-year,” continued Washington. “Yearly increases in some of our high-wage industry sectors are showing employment growth, in some cases of more than 10 percent. This is great news for Alabamians who are looking for high-wage, high-skill jobs.”

Alabama’s unemployment rate is 3.8 percent, which is actually up slightly from March’s record low rate of 3.7 percent but below April 2018’s rate of 4.1 percent, as documented by ADOL figures. April’s rate represents 83,565 unemployed persons, compared to 82,319 in March and 89,509 in April 2018.

Sixty-six of Alabama’s 67 counties saw their unemployment rates drop or remain the same over the month. Greene County was the only county to show an increase, rising to 6.5 percent from 5.9 percent in April 2019.