County jobless steady at 3.2%
August rate is same as July; is second lowest in the state
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Madison County's unemployment rate continues to be one of the lowest in the state, according to figures released Friday by the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.
The county's August unemployment rate of 3.2 percent was the second lowest behind the 2.7 percent rate of Shelby County. Blount, Elmore and Baldwin counties also have unemployment rates of 3.2 percent.
Madison's rate held steady from 3.2 percent in July. A year ago, the county's August unemployment rate was 4.7 percent. The state's overall unemployment rate was 3.8, down sharply from 5.6 percent a year ago.
The Huntsville metropolitan area, which includes Madison and Limestone counties, saw 3,900 more nonfarm jobs filled in August 2005 than a year earlier. The biggest gains were in professional and business service jobs, which saw an increase of 2,100 over the previous year, and education and health services, which grew by 1,800 jobs, according to state figures.
Bullock County, in southeast Alabama, reported the state's highest unemployment rate at 9.8 percent.
A Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released Tuesday showed that the Huntsville job market was forecast to be the ninth best in the nation during the fourth quarter of 2005. From October to December, 43 percent of the companies interviewed in the survey said they planned to hire more employees.
© 2005 The Huntsville Times
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