Hoover Alabama Job Market: One of the Nation's Strongest

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market in the Hoover-Birmingham metro area is one of the nations strongest. In July, the unemployment rate for the area was 3.6%. This score ranked Hoover-Birmingham area 6th out of 49 major metropolitan areas with at least one million people. (The leader was Richmond at 3.2%.)

Larry Holt, the director of research for the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce said that, "It helps to have a very healthy economy and each of our job sectors in Birmingham is performing well... And the fact our housing market and economy throughout Alabama is holding up is a plus."

Roy Williams, a writer for the Birmingham News, noted that the reason for such a strong showing was due to the area having a diverse economy ranging from banking, to health care, to retailing, and to government.

An economics researcher from the University of Alabama, Ahmad Ijaz, stated that, "I think the job market in the area will continue to remain relatively strong through the fall..."

Alabama as a whole ranked well too. It rank ed 10th nationally with a rate of 3.7% in July. Some counties that strongly helped that ranking were Shelby County at 2.6%, Blount County at 3.1%, Chilton County at 3.4%, and St. Clair County at 3.5%.

The Hoover-Birmingham metropolitan area just gives one more reason for Alabama being a great place to live.

* Information gathered from "Birmingham, Hoover area one of U.S. Strongest" by Roy Williams in the Money section of the Birmingham News