By Blake Deshazo

The Selma Times-Journal

Alabama’s unemployment rate continues to fall, as it has reached its lowest point in more than six years.

Gov. Robert Bentley announced Friday the state’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2014 is 5.7 percent, which is down 0.3 percent from November’s rate of 6.0 percent. The national unemployment rate currently sits at 5.6 percent.

“Alabama’s unemployment rate is at a level this state has not experienced in more than six years,” Bentley said. “2014 ended on a positive note. Our unemployment rate has stayed at 7 percent or below throughout the year, and our economy supported more jobs than it has since 2008.”

Dallas County’s unemployment rate dropped from 10.7 percent in November to 10.1 percent in December. Last year’s rate for December was 11.1 percent.

Several counties surrounding Dallas have also seen their rates decrease. Perry County’s rate fell from 10.1 percent to 9.5 percent. Lowndes County saw a 2 percent decrease from November to December, as the rate now sits at 10.1 percent. Wilcox County saw the smallest decrease, as its unemployment rate only dropped 0.1 percent from 12.6 percent to 12.5 percent.

Despite the falling rates, Dallas County is still amongst the counties with the highest unemployment rate, along with Lowndes and Wilcox counties.

The counties with the lowest unemployment rates in the state are Shelby, Lee and Cullman, which all have rates below 4.2 percent.

Bentley said he attributes the decrease to the state’s effort to recruit companies to Alabama.

“Our efforts to recruit jobs will continue until we are able to provide an opportunity for every Alabamian to have a job,” Bentley stated in a press release.

According to the release, the state’s job growth rate is at its highest in seven years.

The rate for 2014 was 1.13 percent, and the last time it was higher was in 2007, when it was at 1.32 percent.

“This year, Alabama experienced the highest annual percentage of job growth since 2007,” said Fitzgerald Washington, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Labor. “We are continuing to recover from the devastating effects of the recession, and our rate of annual job growth reflects that.”