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By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal
After showing signs of improvement, Lowndes County’s unemployment rate is third highest in the state, according to preliminary figures for May provided by the Alabama Department of Labor.
According to the latest Alabama Department of Labor figures released on Friday, June 20, counties with the highest unemployment rates are Wilcox County at 15.6 percent, Dallas County at 12.1 percent and Lowndes at 11.9 percent.
Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are Shelby County at 4.4 percent, Lee County at 4.8 percent and Cullman and Baldwin Counties at 5.1 percent.
Consecutive 2014 reports from the Alabama Department of Labor had shown Lowndes County unemployment numbers were making monthly improvement.
In February, Lowndes County had a 12.6 percent unemployment rate, which ranked it as fourth highest in the state behind Wilcox, Perry and Dallas counties.
Figures released for March, showed Lowndes County improved .5 percent from a revised rate of 12.5 percent in February to a preliminary 12 percent for March. And Lowndes County improved 1 percent from a revised rate of 11.8 percent in March to a preliminary 10.8 percent in April.
However, according to the latest numbers released for May 2014, Lowndes County went from 10.8 percent in April to a preliminary rate of 11.9 percent, an increase of 1.1 percent.
Governor Robert Bentley on Friday announced Alabama’s preliminary seasonally adjusted May unemployment rate is 6.8 percent, down from April’s rate of 6.9 percent.
And Alabama Department of Labor Commissioner Tom Surtees said. “In fact, the number of jobs supported by Alabama’s economy is at its highest point since January 2009, when the recession really began to affect Alabama’s employment picture.”
However, according to Alabama Department of Labor statistics, Lowndes County has experienced double-digit unemployment rates since 2009.
The Lowndes County career center in Hayneville and Fort Deposit offer services including registration to the Alabama Joblink website, help with resume preparation, career and job search assistance and referrals to sources of financial aid and job training programs.
The Lowndes County Career Center Office is open at the Fort Deposit Public Library on the first and third Wednesdays of each month and at the Family Service Center in Hayneville on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on those days.
The Family Service Center is a program of Family Guidance Center of Alabama. And one of the no cost services of the Family Service Center is job readiness.
The Family Service Center in Hayneville, which shares space with the Lowndes County Career Center, is located at 22 Washington St. N.