Alabama’s June Unemployment Rate Drops to 10.3% (news release)

Alabama Department of Industrial Relations

News Release
For Immediate Release: July 16, 2010

Alabama’s June Unemployment Rate Drops to 10.3%

Marks the first time since August 2007 that rate is not higher than the previous
year’s rate.

MONTGOMERY – Alabama Department of Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees
announced today that June’s unemployment rate dropped to 10.3%, down from May’s
revised rate of 10.7%.

June’s rate marks the first time since August 2007 that the seasonally adjusted rate is not higher than the previous year’s rate. The rate in June 2009 was also 10.3%. This rate represents 215,813 unemployed persons, compared to 225,182 in May.

“This is the first significant drop in our unemployment rate that we’ve experienced for
some time,” said Surtees. “We are certainly glad to see it. However, the more than two
hundred thousand unemployed Alabamians probably don’t feel this way. I’d like to
encourage those who are unemployed to visit one of our Career Centers across the state
to receive assistance in finding a new job or receiving technical or educational training.”

June’s wage and salary employment declined by 3,500, with the majority of the loss
resulting from seasonal losses in government and education and health services.
The counties with the lowest unemployment rates were: Shelby at 7.7%, Madison at
7.9%, and Coffee at 8.1%. The counties with the highest unemployment rates were:
Wilcox at 23.6%, Dallas at 18.5%, and Perry at 18.3%.

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Members of the media needing more information should contact Public Information
Officer Tara Hutchison at (334) 242-8616.
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http://dir.alabama.gov/docs/pressreleases/uc_june%202010%20rate%20release.pdf




Unemployment dropping even in the red states? -- could be good news, especially if the trend continues through November.