Alabama joins five other states experiencing a rise in unemployment for the month of November.
The latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics highlights state unemployment figures for November 2024. In the past month, six states experienced a rise in unemployment rates, with Alabama’s rate climbing to 3.1 percent.
In November, Alabama, Maine, and Mississippi experienced the largest upticks in unemployment rates, each rising by 0.2 percent. Meanwhile, Iowa, Kansas, and Vermont saw more modest increases of 0.1 percent.
Earlier this year, Alabama recorded an unemployment rate of 3.1 percent in April, but it has since seen a notable decline in the following months. Nevertheless, the report indicates that unemployment in the state rose to 3.1 percent again in November. The figures from November show a striking resemblance to Alabama’s unemployment rates right before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are significantly lower than the state’s unemployment rate from a decade ago.
Despite an increase in Alabama’s unemployment rate last month, it still sits more than a percentage point below the national average of 4.2 percent. From 2014 to 2018, Alabama’s unemployment rate was consistently higher than the national average.
In November, Alaska, California, Illinois, Nevada, and the District of Columbia reported unemployment rates that exceeded the national average, showing minimal fluctuations during the month.
Last month, there was a 0.5 percent increase in unemployment compared to November 2023 on a national scale. In line with that pattern, 25 states and Washington D.C. experienced increased unemployment rates in November 2024 compared to the previous year. In Alabama, the unemployment rate has risen by 0.3 percent compared to last November.
Employ America, a policy research and advocacy organization dedicated to American labor market outcomes, states, “The labor market is treading water at this point.” It’s not sinking, but the duration of this condition remains uncertain.
The recent months have seen a complex interplay of weather events, strikes, and significant immigration levels, making it challenging to arrive at clear conclusions regarding the present condition of the national labor market. The extent of concern is still uncertain, as it is not clear whether the unemployment rates and other economic indicators are signaling potential issues within the nation’s economy or if they are merely ongoing consequences of COVID and other external influences.
As significant strikes at major companies like Amazon and Starbucks unfold right before the holiday season, it will be intriguing to observe the labor statistics for December as we approach the new year.
