Alabama’s March Unemployment Rate Hits 3.5%

Unemployment Rate by County/Source: ADOL

Alabama’s unemployment rate is now at 3.5%, that’s up from 2.7% in February.

The Alabama Department of Labor says March’s rate represents just over 2.1 million employed persons in the state, which is down over 24,216 over the year.

Sectors that saw monthly losses were seen in the education and health services, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality, among others.

Shelby County still has the lowest unemployment rate at 2.5%, while Wilcox County sits at 9.6%.

The preliminary report goes on to say that the impact of COVID-19 is not fully evident because the majority of closings and layoffs occurred during the week of March 16th. The department says April’s unemployment rate will more accurately reflect the impact of COVID-19 on Alabama’s economy.