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State's unemployment rate rises to 8.4 percent
Published Friday, March 27, 2009
MONTGOMERY — Alabama's unemployment rate rose to 8.4 percent in February, the highest mark in 22 years and more than double from a year ago.
State Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees said Friday the rate was up from 7.8 percent in January, and there were 180,547 unemployed.
That's more than double the 87,778 who were unemployed a year earlier, when Alabama's rate was 4.1 percent.
The February rate is the highest in Alabama since the state measured 8.5 percent in January 1987, and it is above the national rate of 8.1 percent for the same month.
But Surtees said Alabama was better off that its neighbors. Florida had a 9.4 percent rate, Georgia 9.3 percent and Tennessee and Mississippi were at 9.1 percent.
"I know that to someone who is unemployed the fact that our unemployment rate is lower than those of our neighboring states may not mean much," Surtees said. "However, the fact that our rate does continue to stay below the rates of other states in our region reflects the tremendous impact economic development has had in our state over the past several years."
Counties with the highest unemployment rates in February were Wilcox at 21.5 percent, Chambers at 18.9 percent and Dallas at 18.5 percent. Counties with the lowest rates were Shelby at 6.1 percent, Madison at 6.2 percent, and Lee and Coffee at 7.0 percent.
In both Wilcox, the worst, and Shelby, the best, the unemployment rates are more than double what they were a year ago, according to the state Department of Industrial Relations.
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Comments
Posted by mrjones0913 (anonymous) on March 27, 2009 at 7:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Most of the blame can be placed on Bush, but if I recall the democratics have been in control of the House and the Senate for the last two years and they have paseed the measures that have lead us to crisis that we are in. The banking mess is due to Bill Clinton's a home for everyone and his admin. twisting of arms to get secondary loans for people that should have never been around a loan office till they got their lives and fiances in order.
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on March 27, 2009 at 8:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"failed projects like the B1 and B2 bombers...", I don't understand what you mean. They are both expensive but they are both very successful projects. The B1 was about to go into production when Carter stopped it, and some other worthwhile military procurements, while the Soviet Union steadily built up and we built down. After that clown was sent out of Washington, Reagan started re-building our military in more ways than one. It cost a LOT of money, but with his and Margaret Thatcher's firm stance and leadership we eventually won the cold war. Now, you might not think that a worthwhile project, but I sure do. Unfortunately, if we survive these next four years we will have to re-build our military again, and once again it will be expensive. Your new president has decided that we are no longer fighting a "war on terror", but instead we are in an "overseas contingency operation". Janet Napolitano has decided that we haven't had terrorist attacks, but instead we had "manmade disasters". Good God, what a bunch of politically correct fools.
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on March 27, 2009 at 9:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Keith Olberman would sure make one regurgitate, that's for sure.
Posted by eagle1 (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You're getting started early, kw. You have regurgitated this same philosophy on the Bush admin. and "repubes" prior to on several occasions, same song, same ol dance. When are you going to give it a break?
Posted by mrjones0913 (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 10:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The liberal left aka KW can not accept the fact that they the Democratics were also part of the problem with their free hand out programs. If we as a nation keep on this path we will be like Germany in a few years with all their hand outs and broke. Before KW starts how do I know how Germany works and their economy my mother-in-law is a Germacitizen and the Dem. have modled these free hand out programs after Germany. Look for no limt unemployment benifits next. There are jobs out there if the unemployed would not worry about their pride and go do what ever is nesseary to find work. They will not though because our goverment has empowered them to stay unemployed by all the incresese in time they are allowed to stay on unemployment.
Posted by michelle8n38 (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
mrjones, I take issue with your comment that "There are jobs out there if the unemployed would not worry about their pride and go do what ever is nesseary to find work." My husband has been out of work since January because the business he was working at closed down. He has sent in over 100 applications and resumes since then to no avail. He has been told he was overqualified at some businesses (fast food, stock positions at grocery stores, etc.) and under-qualified at others. He received no unemployment benefits and believe me, has done everything necessary to find a job. I realize that there are those who "milk" the system and stay unemployed for as long as possible to get all the "free" money they can, but not all unemployed people do so. This type of blanket statement just increases the ire of those who really are trying.
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 11:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You should have been in the Air Force. We dropped real bombs and shot real bullets from real jets. The only yelling going on was from the people on the ground.
Posted by TheDude (Michael Wells) on March 28, 2009 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
GO AIR FORCE!!
Posted by TheDude (Michael Wells) on March 28, 2009 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, that was a training bomb, kw. So he missed his target by a few blocks, huh? Your lucky day ... DOH!
Posted by mrjones0913 (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 11:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
KW you are right in some of your thinking. Let me first state unemployment is not wrong, living off of it is. Alabama at one allowed 36 weeks of unemployment now that number is up to 52 i think. I know people that can work but refuse to because with unemployment, foodstamps and familly assitance they live better than I do as a retail store manager working 65 hours a week. We can not blame just on side for this mess it is both.
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 11:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
During the eighties, the various units I was in upgraded from Vietnam era F4's to brand new F-16's. We upgraded to newer models of the F-16 twice during the eighties. We got a substantial pay raise twice that I can remember during the eighties and facilities were the best money could buy. We did A LOT of real world training at bases all over the country, including Nellis, and all over the world. Then came Desert Storm and we put all of that equipment and training to use, and it worked. I won't say that we never missed a target, but there's a whole bunch of fine muslim folks that didn't get to participate in subsequent terrorist attacks. Oh, I'm sorry, as your president's administration calls them, "man-made disasters". So, I don't know what the deal was, but we got everything we needed to do our jobs starting in the eighties. Later on in the nineties things started taking a real change for the worse.
Posted by TheDude (Michael Wells) on March 28, 2009 at 1:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know if I would make that drastic of a change, kw. There's not but two conditions of "being" ...
Posted by PlainJane05 (anonymous) on April 2, 2009 at 3:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There's nothing wrong with receiving unemployment compensation, it's wrong if you abuse it. As a Boilermaker, my dad works in different states and between jobs he accepts those checks because he's worked for them. Personally, I'm thankful each day that my husband and I still have jobs. I do agree that there are jobs available that people don't take because they feel it's beneath them, but I'm not saying you're one of them so don't jump on me yet. Both sides are to blame for this economic downslide, not just Dems and not just Repubs. I just hope things start looking up soon.
Posted by kittycreek (anonymous) on April 29, 2009 at 11:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Where do some people get that attitude that a person who has a misfortune such as a job loss, is just a sorry freeloader living off of handouts....what kind of hateful judgemental monsters must they be. Also, if I've educated myself to perform a certain kind of work, I shouldn't have to rush out and take the first crappy job out there. It takes time to look for work in your field. The unemployment gets you by while you do that. Besides that a lot of your (wonderful Corporate American) companies will find any excuse to fire people, instead of laying them off just so they will not have to pay the higher unemployment rates. Only a short time ago, you could only draw for 6 months, anyway.
If you are a skilled worker making $50,000 a year and you loose your job are you supposed to hurry out to the first available McJob? If you can't draw unemployment, you might have to. Otherwise, you should go for it!
Posted by bamamn (anonymous) on January 20, 2010 at 4:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
should I have to pay the unemployment to you for 1 yr while you attempt to find a job?
Posted by 67MUSTANGGT (anonymous) on January 20, 2010 at 6:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
bamamn, you obviously haven't joined the adult workforce yet. If you had, you would know that's NOT how unemployment works. Unemployment is paid by your employer while you are working, to the state, where you are actually working. When you get laid off, you file for Unmemployment Compensation Benefits. Now, some states are bluffing first time filers into not filing multi-state claims. Example: If I work in Nevada, but live in Alabama, then work in Pennsylvania, I can choose which state I file for benefits in. This is known as a multi-state claim. Those of us who work in many different states for multiple contractors each year do this. The unemployment money is NOT paid by YOU!!! It is my money, paid by my employer FOR ME! So suck it up, get educated, and don't sound foolish, when it's OBVIOUS you were whining.
On a second note, I work 8 to 10 months per year, by choice. I file in Pennsylvania for UCB. They pay me $600.00 per week after taxes. But, they plan on people, like you, being ignorant of how UCB works. So you keep thinking you're getting the shaft while I get paid to deer hunt. And the state you will work in keeps all of your money.
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