Alabama's LOW Unemployment Rate

     The most recent news releases from the Alabama Department of Labor are features about how much money has been paid out, warnings not to cheat, and the story of a new name for the online job listings.
 
     The most recent release providing actual numbers of Alabamans without jobs was on April 17, and it bragged about the March low rate of 3.5% jobless rate. There's a note lower in the release:

*NOTE: The impact of COVID-19 will not be fully evident in the March report. This is due to the fact that the majority of closings and layoffs occurred during the week of March 16th. The unemployment rate is measured during the week of March 12th. April’s unemployment rate, scheduled to be published on May 22, will more accurately reflect the impact of COVID-19 on Alabama’s economy.

     Also note that on March 21st, some 9,300 Alabama residents filed for unemployment. Alabama rate usually closely mirrors the national unemployment rate, so the numbers to be released three weeks from tomorrow should certainly present a more accurate and gloomy depiction of the economy. Here's a hint:

On April 18th:

• 66,432 first time claimants.

• The previous week was even worst: 77,515

That's almost 144,000 first time claims in two weeks leading into May.

UPDATE: Some national stats out this morning....30-Million+ unemployment filings in the past six weeks. Here's the CBS story.