Alabama faring better than Southern neighbors on employment

Five of six Wiregrass counties reported unemployment at lower than the national average of 6.5 percent in October, and four of six were at or lower than the state average of 5.6 percent.

And based on figures just released by the State Department of Industrial Relations, Alabama’s jobless rate is the lowest among the neighboring Southern states.

Unemployment was 7 percent in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee last month, and 7.2 percent in Mississippi. In a press release issued last week by Bob Riley, the governor said the state is holding its own.

“Alabama is not immune to the economic challenges facing our region and our nation, but we have been weathering this economic storm better than many states,” Riley said in a statement.

Overall, unemployment rose in Alabama last month, from 5.3 to 5.6 percent, as did the rates in Coffee, Dale and Geneva counties, but the area still fares better than much of the country, according to Tom Surtees, director of the Department of Industrial Relations.

“Alabama is still one of the most fortunate states in the region because we continue recording job growth in Alabama,” Surtees said. “Annually, we’ve seen a large boost of jobs in several areas, like professional and business services, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality.”

Barbour County had the highest unemployment in the region last month, at 7.7 percent, down from 7.9 in September, and up from 5.7 a year ago. The county, which has one of the smallest civilian labor forces in the area estimated at 10,140 people, has 779 people looking for work.

Henry County was second highest at 5.9 percent, which is down from 6.1 percent in September and 6.4 percent a year ago. One of the county’s largest employers closed last year, boosting unemployment in the area. Figures show there has been some improvement in the job situation.

Geneva County was tied with the state average, at 5.6 percent, up from 4.9 percent in September and 2.7 percent a year ago. The rate represents 647 people looking for work.

The lowest unemployment in the area was in Coffee County last month, where 928 people were listed as unemployed. The 4.5 percent rate was up from 4.4 in September and 3.2 percent a year ago. Coffee County unemployment was seventh lowest in the state.

Unemployment in the most populace county, Houston, fell slightly last month from 4.8 percent to 4.7 percent. A year ago, unemployment was at 2.8 percent. Houston County has a labor force of 46,150 people, with 2,169 being unemployed.

Dale County unemployment was 5.1 percent in October, up from 5 percent in the previous month and 3.2 percent a year ago. The county has the second largest labor force in the area with 38,783 people working.

Among the state’s 11 metro areas, Dothan ranked near the middle with a 5 percent rate, up from 4.9 percent in September and 3.2 percent a year ago. The lowest unemployment in the state was in Huntsville, which had a rate of 3.9 percent.

Among the counties, unemployment is lowest in Shelby (3.6), Madison (3.8), and Tuscaloosa (4.1), and highest in Chambers (14.3), Wilcox (12.8), and Bullock (12).