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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

Unemployment rates in Chilton County and the state continue to decrease as more people are being able to return to work.

The unemployment rate for June, which was reported on July 17, for Chilton county was 6.7%. This is a decrease from the 9% reported in May.

The state seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was 7.5%, compared to 9.9% in May.

“We continue to make gains in our unemployment rate but remain above the record low rates we were experiencing prior to this pandemic,” Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said. “People are returning to work as the economy further reopens, but we are beginning to see slight rises in the number of initial unemployment claims filed each week.”

According to the press release, “Wage and salary employment grew in June by 42,300. Monthly gains were seen in the leisure and hospitality sector (+24,100), the trade, transportation, and utilities sector (+8,900), the professional and business services sector (+6,900), and the manufacturing sector (+4,800), among others.”

Clay County (4.6%) Shelby (5.4%), Marshall (5.4%) and Cullman Counties (5.4%) are the counties reporting the lowest unemployment rates.