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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

The preliminary unemployment rate in Chilton County is continuing to decrease.

The unemployment rate in August, which was released on Sept. 18 by the Alabama Department of Labor, was 4.7 % (925 people) for the county. This is a decrease from the 6.7% reported for July.

Statewide the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in August was 5.6%, down from 7.9% in July.

“The drop in the unemployment rate is certainly good news for Alabama,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a press release. “We have worked extremely hard to open Alabama’s businesses safely, and to put our hard-working families back to work. We know that challenges remain, and we will endeavor to meet them so that we can get back to our previous, pre-pandemic record-setting employment numbers.”

Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington noted that the drop in unemployment in August was larger than had been seen in the past few months.

“We regained another 22,200 jobs this month but are still down more than 86,000 from this time last year,” he said.

According to the Alabama Department of Labor, “Several industries saw their average weekly earnings reach record high levels, including: total private: $941.76, up $91.03 over the year, goods producing: $1099.76, up $48.91 over the year; construction: $1,067.90, up $72.79 over the year; manufacturing: $1,128.13, up $72.26 over the year (and) private service providing: $895.57, up $102.32 over the year.”

Every county and metro area in Alabama saw a decrease in unemployment in August.