County jobless rate continues to decline

By Staff
Staff reports
Madison County Record
The number of people who file for unemployment compensation in Madison County dropped in December 2002.
The December unemployment rate in Madison County was 4.1 percent, .1 percent lower than the rate recorded in November.
The December unemployment rate in Alabama was 5.8 percent, the same rate recorded in November.
"The latest jobless rate is below the 6.0 percent figure posted one year ago in Alabama, said Phyllis Kennedy, director of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations. The state remains below the national rate of 6.0 percent."
The comparable U.S. unemployment rate was also unchanged in December.
In neighboring Limestone County, the unemployment rate dropped from 6.1 percent in November to 5.6 percent in December. In neighboring Morgan County, the unemployment rate increased from 6.5 percent in November to 7.1 percent in December.
Kennedy said over the past year, the majority of job losses occurred in manufacturing, transportation, public utilities, trade, finance, insurance and real estate. Services, construction and government were the only major sectors that grew over the year.