Governor Kay Ivey says the state's unemployment rate for July remains well below the national rate. Ivey and state Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said the preliminary, seasonally adjusted July rate is 3.2%. That's down from June's rate of 3.3% and well below July 2020's rate of 7.4%. The July national rate was 5.4%. Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are Homewood at 1.8%, Vestavia Hills at 2.1%, and Hoover and Madison at 2.2%. Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are Selma at 9.4%, Prichard at 8.1%, and Anniston 6.2%.
COVID vaccine requirements could soon become an issue regarding the workplace in Alabama. Attorney General Steve Marshall says State law prohibits businesses from requiring proof of vaccination from customers. However, the AG admits employers can require staff members to be inoculated against COVID-19. Alabama employers including Walmart and Tyson Foods are already imposing a mandate that workers get their shots.
