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Secretary Fitzgerald Washington of the Alabama Department of Labor proudly announced that the state’s labor force participation rate has maintained its position at 57.0 percent. Notably, the participation rate for prime-age workers (ages 25-54) saw a rise, increasing by 0.2 percent to stand at 78.0 percent for the month.
Secretary Washington expressed optimism about these figures, stating, “In Alabama, over three-quarters of our prime-age working citizens are employed. We’re thrilled with this uptick and remain hopeful about ongoing initiatives boosting this rate even further.”
September’s data showcases a slight increase in Alabama’s unemployment rate, up from August’s 2.1 percent to 2.2 percent. However, it’s an improvement from September 2022’s figure of 2.6 percent. This translates to 50,179 unemployed individuals, a rise from August’s 48,590 but significantly lower than the 60,488 in September of the previous year.
Yearly figures indicate a record high for employment, with an additional 35,931 individuals now working, totaling 2,259,784 employed Alabamians. The civilian labor force also hit a record with 2,309,963 members, an increase of 25,622 from the prior year.
Wage improvements were also highlighted by Secretary Washington. “We’ve observed a growth in Alabamians’ wages. The total weekly private wages went up by $20.44, benefitting our workers considerably.”
Yearly average wages for the private sector have risen to $1,022.58, marking an increase from September 2022’s $1,002.14. The construction industry, in particular, experienced a remarkable wage boost, with a record weekly wage increase of $87.53, culminating in a total of $1,251.05.
Furthermore, employment in the wage and salary domain saw a yearly increase of 36,400, taking the total to 2,158,300. Significant gains were observed in the private education and health services sector (+8,400), the government sector (+8,000), and more.
In terms of monthly statistics for September, wage and salary employment rose by 7,700, thanks to expansions in the government sector (+6,800) and other areas.
At a county level, Shelby County boasted the lowest unemployment rate at 1.9 percent, with Wilcox County at the higher end with 7.4 percent. Among major cities, Vestavia Hills had the lowest unemployment at 1.7 percent, while Selma experienced the highest at 6.0 percent.
