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State’s jobless rate climbs, county’s drops

By Jason Cannon (Contact) | Demopolis Times

Published Saturday, November 21, 2009

Alabama Department of Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees announced today that Alabama’s October unemployment rate rose to 10.9 percent, up from September’s rate of 10.7 percent.

Marengo County’s jobless rate actually dropped .3 percent but is still well ahead of the state average at 14.5 percent.

The state figure represents 226,790 unemployed persons and an increase of 3,800 in wage and salary employment.

Marengo County’s figure represents 1132 out of work residents, down 23 from last month.

The sectors experiencing the gains were: government, professional and business services, trade, transportation, and utilities, and educational and health services.

Sectors experiencing losses this month were: financial activities, manufacturing, other services, and natural resources and mining.

“While we did experience a slight increase in the unemployment rate, I am proud to announce that Alabama is already paying federal extension benefits to those claimants who qualify,” said Surtees. “This extension was only signed into law on November 6, so that represents a less than two week turn-around time on distributing these much needed dollars.”

The Department of Industrial Relations has determined that, to date, approximately 12,000 Alabamians are eligible for this most recent federal extension of benefits. This week, DIR asked claimants whose benefits exhausted on or before Nov. 14 to begin certifying for the extended benefits. Claimants can certify online at www.dir.alabama.gov, or by calling 1-800-752-7389.

Payments for some of these claims began earlier this week.

“Once again, I’d like to encourage unemployed Alabamians to be patient with us as we distribute these funds,” said Surtees.

“We are doing everything possible to get these funds circulating in Alabama’s economy as quickly as we can. Filing online is the best way to speed up the process.”

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