Alabama jobless rate up substantially to 3.5%

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama’s unemployment rate is up substantially to 3.5%, and it will go even higher because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Statistics released by the state on Friday show the state’s jobless rate has increased in March from the record-low 2.7% in February.

While that’s bad enough, the report notes that the full impact of the COVID-19 shutdown isn’t included since most closings and layoffs happened after statistics were gathered.

That means the April numbers will be worse.

The March jobless rate reflects a loss of more than 24,000 jobs as efforts to stop the spread of the virus were taking hold.

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)