Alabama’s Jobless Rate Up Slightly

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)- Alabama’s unemployment rate is up slightly from a month ago.

Labor statistics released Friday show the state’s jobless rate rose one-tenth of a percent to 6 percent in November.

A statement from Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald Washington says the increase isn’t necessarily bad news because it indicates more people are entering the workforce.

The state’s jobless rate is the same as a year ago at 6 percent. But the state unemployment rate is still 1 percentage point above the national rate of 5 percent.

In our viewing area Pickens County has a jobless rate of 6.2 percent, while the unemployment rate in Lamar County’s is just under 6 percent.

Shelby County in metro Birmingham has the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 4 percent. Wilcox County in western Alabama has the highest unemployment at 13.5 percent.