May 21, 2013
Alabama's unemployment rate, which had been stuck at 5.7 percent for three months, declined slightly in October to 5.6 percent.
Alice McKinney, director of the state Department of Industrial Relations, said October's rate was also below the 5.7 percent recorded a year earlier and was below the comparable national rate of 5.7 percent for October.
October's jobless rate represented 121,200 unemployed people.
Statistics show that annual job losses total 9,100 in manufacturing and 6,000 in trade. The only sectors showing growth for the year are construction, 1,000 jobs, and mining up 300.
Unemployment figures for each county show Washington County had the worst rate at 15.1 percent, followed by Dallas County at 14.1 percent and Franklin County at 13.2 percent.
Shelby County had the lowest jobless rate at 2.5 percent, followed by Tuscaloosa County at 3.6 percent and Cleburne County at 3.7 percent.
