Unemployment Rate Drops to 6 Percent

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama’s unemployment rate has dropped to 6 percent, but it remains above the national average.

Gov. Robert Bentley on Tuesday announced that Alabama’s rate declined from 6.1 percent in December to 6.0 percent in January. The national rate in January was 5.7 percent.

The governor said the Alabama figure marks 14 months with no increase in unemployment.

Alabama Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald Washington said employment numbers also show more Alabamians are in the workforce. He said the number of people employed in January was 2,006,903, the highest number since 2008.

Shelby County had the lowest unemployment rate in Alabama at 4.2 percent. Wilcox County had the highest at 14.9 percent.

Bentley has promised not to accept a paycheck until the state’s unemployment rate drops to 5.2 percent.

 

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