Unemployment now at 9.1 percent in Dallas County

Published 2:50 pm Saturday, May 28, 2016

Unemployment dipped slightly from March to April but is still a little higher than this time last year.

The jobless rate in Dallas County fell from 9.5 to 9.1 percent over the previous two months. The rate was 8.8 percent in April 2015.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced the new numbers last week. Across Alabama, the jobless rate fell to 6.1 percent.

Email newsletter signup

“Every aspect of this month’s jobs data reflects positively on Alabama’s economy,” Bentley said. “More people are working and more jobs are filled. In fact, we are supporting almost 100,000 more jobs now than we were at the height of the recession.”

Wage and salary employment increased in April by 16,500. Monthly gains were seen in the trade, transportation, and utilities sector (+3,600), the professional and business services sector (+3,500), and the leisure and hospitality sector (+2,100), among others.

All major Alabama cities, metro areas, and 67 Alabama counties experienced drops in the unemployment rate.

Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County at 4.0 percent, Elmore County at 4.5 percent and Cherokee County at 4.6 percent.

Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County at 13.9 percent, Lowndes County at 11.1 percent and Clarke County at 10.8 percent.