Unemployment jumps 1% in June
Published 10:17 am Friday, July 20, 2012
Morgan County’s unemployment rate jumped by 1 percent in June to 8.4 percent, but the local jobless rate is still much better than it was one year ago.
The number of unemployed persons increased from 4,189 to 4,908 from May to June. However, the number of employed persons in the workforce also increased from 52,719 to 53,314 in that same period. There were also more than 400 fewer unemployed persons compared to June 2011, and the number of employed persons also increased by 311 from 2011 to 2012.
County Detailed Rate Information
Alabama Department of Industrial Relations June 2012 Rate Press Release
Metropolitan Area Unemployment Rates
Non-Agricultural Job Information
Overall, the total civilian labor force increased by more than 1,300 people, but the workforce is still down 135 workers in the past year.
On a statewide level, Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 7.8 percent, up 0.4 percent from May but much less than the 9.3 percent rate recorded in June 2011.
“Just as with last month, we are experiencing an expected, seasonal increase in the labor force,” said Alabama Department of Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees. “People looking for summer work as well as teachers and education employees who are not working over the summer are entering the job market. Since the unemployment rate is simply the percentage of people in the labor force who are not working, this increase will inevitably raise the unemployment rate.”
Although the unemployment rate did increase, unemployment claims continue to fall. Initial unemployment compensation claims are down by 20 percent from a year ago, and the amount paid in claims is down by 21.5 percent.
Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are Shelby County at 6.1 percent, Coffee County at 7.3 percent and Limestone County at 7.4 percent. Counties with the highest unemployment rates are Wilcox County at 18.8 percent, Lowndes County at 16.5 percent and Dallas County at 16.3 percent.
The U.S. unemployment rate for June was 8.2 percent, no change from May but down from 9.1 percent from May 2011.
