Government Shutdown had Impact on AL Unemployment

By Steve Rogers

PICKENS COUNTY, Al. (WCBI) – The partial federal government shutdown in October may have had an impact on Alabama unemployment numbers last month.

New figures show the state’s unemployment rate rose slightly from September to October with the number of people working falling by 17,000.

Some of that is attributed to federal workers on furlough during the shutdown. But the October rate was well below the same month last year.

Across parts of West Alabama, the employment picture was mixed. The number of people working compared to last October increased while the numbers were down in Lamar and Fayette counties.

The Pickens County increase has been linked to the opening of a new federal women’s prison in Aliceville.