Alabama jobless rate jumps in December

Unemployment jumped statewide and across southwest Alabama in December as effects of a faltering national economy began to show up in the state.

Mobile and Baldwin counties have seen increases of 0.8 percentage points over those two months, with Mobile’s jobless rate rising to 3.9 percent and Baldwin’s to 3.1 percent in December. That reflects a shrinking number of jobs, down almost 1,000 in Mobile and about 350 in Baldwin last month.

Baldwin, where employment has grown rapidly in recent years, remains tied for the fourth-lowest jobless rate in the state.

Alabama jobless rate jumps in December