Alabama jobless rate hits 25-year high

The national news recently reported that the unemployment rate actually dropped a smidgen in July, signaling a reversal of the economy. Unfortunately, this trend passed Alabama by… our unemployment rate rose to 10.2%, a number we haven’t seen since 1984.

Alabama's unemployment rate has risen to 10.2 percent, which is the highest figure in more than 25 years.

The state Department of Industrial Relations announced Friday that the rate rose from 10.1 percent in June to 10.2 percent in July. Alabama hasn't recorded a rate that high since unemployment reached 10.4 percent in April 1984.

The July figure represents more than 215,000 Alabamians out of work.

Some counties have higher rates even than that… the highest is Wilcox county with 24.9% unemployment.

For more on this, you can read the following article:
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20090822/NEWS01/908220320/Ala.-jobless-numbers-up-again-in-July