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State unemployment rate drops to new low

Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington announced last week that Alabama reached a new record low unemployment rate in October. Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted October unemployment rate is just 2.8 percent, down from September’s rate of 3.0 percent, and well below October 2018’s rate of 3.8 percent. “More than 80,000 Alabamians are working today … Continued
November 22, 2019

Retail salespersons, registered nurses are the most sought-after employees

Data collected and analyzed by the Alabama Department of Labor’s Labor Market Information (LMI) Division shows that the most online wanted ads were for retail salespersons, registered nurses, and customer service representatives. 6,662 ads were placed for those occupations in October alone with total ads up 15.8 percent over this time year. The HWOL data … Continued
November 20, 2019

Hyundai to build the Santa Cruz in Montgomery adding 200 jobs

Wednesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) announced that Hyundai would add another product line at its Montgomery assembly plant. The Hyundai Santa Cruz will now also be built in Montgomery. The decision means 200 more jobs at the Montgomery plant. Governor Kay Ivey joined Hyundai executives and local leaders to announce that Hyundai plans to … Continued
November 14, 2019

Report: Alabama children’s wellness making slight gains, but racial disparities remain

Children in Alabama are faring slightly better than they were last year across several wellness indicators, but almost 300,000 Alabama children, 26 percent, still live in poverty, and racial disparities remain across every key wellness indicator.  According to the 2019 Alabama Kids Count released publicly on Tuesday the state’s infant mortality rate is at an … Continued
November 13, 2019

Tribe offers to buy exclusive rights to gambling in Alabama

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians released its winning for Alabama plan, which, if accepted by the state, would give the tribe—comprised of roughly 4,000 individuals—exclusive gaming rights throughout Alabama. Over the last several weeks, PCI, which pays no tax on its gaming profits in the state, has been running … Continued
November 12, 2019

Expanding Medicaid would cover more than 13,000 Alabama veterans, their family members

More than 13,000 low-income veterans in Alabama and their adult family members who do not have medical insurance would gain access to medical care if the state were to expand Medicaid.  Jim Carnes, director of the Montgomery-based nonprofit Alabama Arise, told APR on Friday that it’s a common misconception that veterans in the U.S. have access … Continued
November 12, 2019

First summit on rural workforce development held in Livingston

Friday, November 1 Alabama Power and Alabama Commission on Higher Education collaborated for first Alabama Summit on Rural Workforce Development, which was held on the campus of the University of West Alabama, Organizers hoped that the event will advance economic, workforce and rural development across Alabama. Hundreds of economic and workforce development professionals packed the … Continued
November 11, 2019

Ivey announces 16 GOMESA-funded projects

Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday, during a press conference, announced close to $28 million for 16 projects, which are supported by funds from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA). These projects focus on land acquisitions, research and recreational access improvements, which are included in the original intent and authorized use of … Continued
November 7, 2019

Carvana plans to open Alabama distribution hub, creating more than 450 jobs

Governor Kay Ivey announced today that Carvana, a leading e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, plans to invest more than $40 million to construct an Alabama distribution and fulfillment center, creating more than 450 jobs in Bessemer. Carvana, the fastest-growing auto retailer in the U.S., plans to open the Jefferson County facility to … Continued
November 6, 2019