Since the height of the national economic recession in 2009:
• The civilian labor force in many areas has decreased because people have stopped looking for work due to the lack of jobs. In Gadsden, the labor force has shown a net increase.
• Total employment here has risen by 1,852.
• Unemployment dropped by 1,634.
• And the annual average unemployment rate has fallen from 10.2% to 6.5%.
Year Labor Force Employment Unemployment Unemployment Rate
2009 44,497 39,951 4,546 10.2
2010 45,239 41,035 4,204 9.3
2011 45,817 41,837 3,980 8.7
2012 45,402 42,127 3,275 7.2
2013 44,715 41,803 2,912 6.5
The IDA began operating in January, 1985. At that time, these numbers were:
1984 42,610 36,880 5,710 13.4
Source:
Alabama Department of Labor