MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WDNews) — Alabama added 24,300 wage and salary jobs over the past year as labor force participation among adults ages 25 to 54 increased, according to the Alabama Department of Workforce.
The state’s prime-age labor force participation rate rose to 79.5%, up from 78.4% a year earlier. That rate measures people in that age group who are working or actively looking for work.
“What these numbers show us is that the people who can and should be working, are working,” Workforce Secretary Greg Reed said. “Nearly 80% of prime-age workers have jobs.”
Reed said the state’s older population also affects overall workforce participation. According to the department, adults 55 and older account for 61.7% of people outside the labor force.
“Ultimately, our mission is to ensure that every Alabamian who wants a job has a job, and we will continue working throughout the state to make that a reality,” Reed said.
Total wage and salary employment reached 2,218,800. Leisure and hospitality led the annual gains with 10,200 jobs, followed by private education and health services with 7,300 and professional and business services with 6,800.
Employment in private education and health services reached a record 272,000 jobs.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.5% in September, up from 3.4% in August and 2.8% in September 2025.
The rate represented 82,075 unemployed people, compared with 80,550 in August and 65,692 a year earlier.
The number of employed residents fell by 2,080 from August to 2,279,937. The civilian labor force, which includes people working or actively seeking work, declined by 555 to 2,362,012.
Shelby, Limestone and Chambers counties had the lowest county unemployment rates at 3%. Perry County had the highest at 6.6%, followed by Greene County at 6.5% and Monroe County at 6.4%.
Among major cities, Pelham had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.6%. Prichard had the highest at 7%, followed by Selma at 5.8% and Tuscaloosa at 5%.
