The state of Alabama’s unemployment rate increased for the second month in the row.

The rate increased from 5.7 percent in April to 6.1 percent in May. The rate was at its lowest point in seven months before it started to go up in April.

Dallas County’s rate increased from 8.1 percent in April to 9.6 percent in May.

According to the report, every county saw an increase last month.

“Every county went up this month, and it is because of seasonality. It is not surprising in May and June,“ said Tara Hutchison, a spokesperson with the department.

“We typically see an increase in the workforce, and this is due to high school students entering the workforce trying to find summer jobs, you have college graduates coming out looking for their first job and all sorts of things like that.”

Hutchison said the increase is normal and happens this time every year, as well as around Christmas.

“It happens in the summertime, and the same things happen at Christmas time when you have a lot of season hiring or people picking up extra jobs or holiday jobs,” Hutchison said.

According to May’s preliminary numbers, there are 1,554 people without jobs in Dallas County, as opposed to 14, 573 with jobs.

Last year at this time there were 253 more people on the unemployment list in Selma and Dallas County.

While Dallas County saw an increase in its rate, last year’s was much higher at 11.3 percent.

Dallas ranks seventh in the state for highest unemployment. The highest rate in the state is Wilcox County with 15.6 percent. The county with the lowest rate is Shelby with 4.2 percent.

Clifford Hunter, the site manager for the Selma Career Center, said there are jobs available for people looking for work in Selma and Dallas County.

“We’re taking applications for a couple of companies of production workers in this area that are hiring,” Hunter said. “The most important thing employers are looking for is to make sure that individuals meet the qualifications as to what they are looking for to do the job, and they are looking for work experience.”

The center, which is open Monday-Friday from 8-5 p.m., can help people write a resume or look for job opportunities.