MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s unemployment rate rose slightly in July as the state continues to feel the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Alabama Department of Labor reported Friday that the state’s preliminary July unemployment rate is 7.9%, up from June’s rate of 7.6%. The number represents 176,637 unemployed people. By comparison, the rate was under 3% last July before the pandemic.
Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said the economy is recovering but the state will continue to have fluctuations. He said the state has recovered about half of the 200,000 jobs lost in the pandemic.
