“While the decrease in the number of unemployed people is certainly welcomed, along with the other positive signs we’ve been seeing recently, we will continue to work to improve the employment picture in Alabama,” Department of Labor Commissioner Tom Surtees said in a release. “Bentley and our Department of Commerce are working to bring jobs to the state, and the staff in our career centers will continue to work to help the unemployed and underemployed find the right career.”

The counties with the lowest December 2012 unemployment rates were Shelby County at 4.6 percent, Madison and Blount counties at 5.5 percent and Coffee, Cullman, Lee and St. Clair counties at 5.7 percent.

The counties with the highest unemployment rates were Wilcox County at 15.1 percent, Bullock County at 13.1 percent and Perry, Greene and Dallas counties at 12 percent.