The Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) is once again boasting a “record low unemployment rate” with the release of its June numbers, which put the seasonally-adjusted rate for the state at 3.5 percent, a slight improvement over the previous record low of 3.7 percent.

“Another month and yet another set of broken records,” said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.  “It’s so exciting to be able to announce these great numbers month after month.  It’s always positive to announce a new record low unemployment rate, but we also saw more people working than ever before, fewer unemployed than ever before, more people in the workforce than ever before and, finally, more jobs than ever before.  These gains are momentous and we certainly hope they continue as they year progresses.”

According to an ADOL press release, the latest number indicate an addition of more than 10,000 people to the state’s workforce over the month and an addition of nearly 50,000 over the same period last year.

Despite that, Selma is still seeing the highest unemployment rate in the state, 7.2 percent, and Dallas County, with an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent, narrowly avoided being listed among the highest-unemployment counties in the state.

However, both the city and the county have seen improvements – Selma’s unemployment rate improved significantly over last year’s 8.2 percent, though it increased by the same amount over May’s 6.2 percent, and Dallas County has improved over last year’s 7.5 percent but similarly saw an increase over last month’s 5.1 percent.

Still, ADOL Secretary Fitzgerald Washington praised the new numbers as a win for Alabama.

“Let’s talk about jobs,” Washington said in a press release. “Our economy is supporting more jobs than ever before. There are over 37,000 more jobs in Alabama today than a year ago. Those jobs are coming with the second highest average weekly earnings in history.  Workers are earning an extra $44.76 per week than they were a year ago and $21.91 more than they were just last month. Two of our employment sectors saw their highest average weekly earnings: the trade, transportation, and utilities sector and the professional and business services sector. So not only are we gaining jobs, but Alabamians are bringing home more in their paychecks.”

ADOL numbers seem to bear this out – wage and salary employment increased by 37,300 over the year, with significant gains in the business and professional services sector, the construction sector and the leisure and hospitality sector.

Further, the trade, transportation and utilities sector reported average weekly earnings of $702.96 and the professional and business services sector reported average weekly earnings of $1,087.97, a record high for both industries.