According to statistics released by the Alabama Department of Labor, the state’s unemployment rate for May held steady from the previous month at 6.1 percent. It also remained unchanged from May 2015.
In Marengo County, the rate jumped from 6.6 percent in April to 7.4 percent in May. The rate did drop when compared to a year when the May 2016 unemployment rate stood at 7.8 percent.
The number of unemployed reported for Marengo County stood at 555 in May 2016. That number stood at 489 in April 2016 and was 578 in May 2015.
Of Alabama’s 67 counties, Marengo County is ranked at 17 based on unemployment rate. The county with the highest unemployment is Wilcox at 13.5 percent, with Lowndes and Clarke rounding out the top three, both with unemployment over 10 percent.
The lowest rate is in Shelby County, which was reported at 4.2 percent. Elmore and Lee counties were each at 5.1 percent.
Statewide, May’s rate represents 132,106 unemployed persons, compared to 133,252 in April and 130,722 in May 2015.
“These numbers show that we are continuing to see job growth in Alabama,” said Governor Robert Bentley. “We are working hard every day to put Alabamians back to work. Though this month’s percentage remains the same, more people are working today than a month ago and more people are looking for work. This is a sign that the economy is on the right track.”
The Civilian Labor Force (CLF), which is made up of people who are working or looking for work, increased in May both over the month and over the year. 40,548 more people are working or looking for work in May 2016 than there were in May 2015. The number of people who are counted as employed also increased over the month and the year, with 39,164 more working this year than last.
“Our wage and salary employment continues to show marked improvement,” said Fitzgerald Washington, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Labor. “We’re less than 25,000 jobs away from reaching the two million mark, which has been among the highest number of jobs our economy has ever supported over the last 20 years. I’m optimistic that we will reach this milestone this year.”
Over the year, wage and salary employment increased 20,000, with gains in the professional and business services sector (+7,300), the education and health services sector (+5,200), and the trade, transportation, and utilities sector (+4,600), among others.