Jul. 17—The June unemployment rates for Athens and Limestone County rose slightly to 2.7% and 2.8% respectively, up from 2.1% in May.
While both the city and county saw an increase in the number of residents listed as unemployed, that number is still far below the unemployment rate of 5.6% posted in June 2020 closer to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As our unemployment rate continues to drop and employers continue to fill jobs, we're proud to celebrate the fact that Alabama is open for business," Gov. Kay Ivey said. "The drastic changes we've seen since last year are truly remarkable and are a testament to the dedication and work ethic of Alabamians. After months of struggling through an unprecedented pandemic, I'm proud to say that nearly 90,000 more Alabamians are working today than last year."
Several businesses have been announced for Athens and Limestone County so far this year, including Mazda Toyota Manufacturing support company KC Logistics.
Many other new businesses were announced in 2020, like Buc-ee's Athens, Harbor Freight, a second Publix location and Circle K gas station on U.S. 31, which is now open for business.
"Any time you can grow your population and keep your quality of life, it's exciting," Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said.
There were 331 Athens residents listed as unemployed in June, up from 263 in May. Limestone County as a whole had 1,230 residents labeled unemployed, up from 969.
The preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Alabama was 3.3% in June, down from 3.4% in May. There were 73,744 residents listed as unemployed last month compared to 171,721 a year ago.
"Our jobs count this month hit its highest mark so far in 2021," said Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. "Employers are eagerly looking for employees and are actively hiring. We're especially proud to say that the leisure and hospitality industry, which took such a severe hit during the pandemic, is also at a yearly high, and has seen yearly growth of nearly 29,000 jobs."
Shelby County posted the lowest unemployment rate for June at 2.4%, while Wilcox County had the highest at 10.4%. Among major cities, Alabaster in Shelby County had the lowest unemployment rate for June at 2.4%, while Selma had the highest at 8.6%.