October’s jobless claims drop significantly
Franklin County’s unemployment rate is at its lowest point in several years.
The Alabama Department of Industrial Relations released the state’s jobless claims for the month of October on Friday and with it came good news for county residents.
Franklin County’s jobless claims dropped to 8.7 percent, down from September’s high of 9.8 percent.
That total represents 1,156 residents who filed for unemployment. In September, there were 1,309 claims filed.
The county’s unemployment rate is now lower than the state average of 9.3 percent. The state average dropped from 9.8 percent in September.
October’s state rate represents 201,296 unemployed persons, down from 211,132 last month. This is the fourth consecutive month Alabama’s unemployment rate has decreased.
“The drop in Alabama’s unemployment rate is certainly good news for our state,” Gov. Robert Bentley said.
“While we are still a long way from reaching full employment, October’s decline shows positive momentum for our state as we continue our mission to put Alabamians back to work.”
Alabama Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees commented that the drop in the unemployment rate is a positive sign in economic recovery.
“We are definitely excited to be able to announce a significant drop in our unemployment rate,” Surtees said.
“We are continuing to notice positive signs in our economic recovery. Our initial unemployment claims are lower than they have been over the past four years, as is the amount of our benefit payments.
“These positive indicators, along with the fact that we added nearly 10,000 jobs this month, contributed to the large decrease. We are certainly not out of the woods yet, but we are optimistic that we will continue to see positive hiring trends for the rest of the year, especially as seasonal hiring picks up for the holidays.”
In northwest Alabama, jobless claims were reported as follows: Lauderdale County at 7.8 percent, Colbert County at 8.5 percent, Lawrence County at 9.6 percent, Winston County at 12.6 percent and Marion County at 10.8 percent.
Counties with the lowest unemployment rates were Shelby County at 6.1 percent, Coffee County at 6.8 percent and Lee County at 7.1 percent. Counties with the highest unemployment rates were Wilcox County at 19 percent, Dallas County at 16.6 percent and Bullock County at 16.6 percent.
