Goodwill to host hiring event in Auburn amid declining Ala. unemployment rate

AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) - Alabama is cutting its unemployment insurance tax rate by 50 percent. That’s part of the expense employers pay in payroll taxes for employees. Governor Kay Ivey says the cut is a sign of Alabama’s rapid economic recovery since the pandemic.

According to the Alabama Department of Labor, during the pandemic is when unemployment was at its highest. In April 2020, we saw a 13.7 percent unemployment rate.

Over the years, we’ve reduced it to only a 2.7 percent unemployment rate.

The department is also releasing a record-high job count in Alabama, opening up over 2 million job opportunities around the state.

“First few days of the month here, I have seen people coming in and starting to look for jobs,” said Career center manager, Dee Skipton

Skipton said the Goodwill career center is hosting its New Year, New Beginnings hiring event on January 11th at the Auburn public library to help find jobs for residents.

“The fact that they are looking and looking hard and asking for resumes…its sort of telling that a lot of people are feeling ok to go back to work,” said Skipton

The hiring event will begin at 10 a.m. CST, with over 15 employers attending, one of those employers being the Auburn police department, with 12 officer positions available.

“Basic requirements APOSTC certification would be greatly appreciated; however, if you’re not certified already, that’s not a problem,” said Auburn assistant Chief Clarence Stewart. His department also has a paid student public safety officer position.

“If you complete your courses and have the grades, we’ll also pay for your tuition,” said Stewart.

Skipton said to bring multiple resumes and practice your interview skills. She says this is the best opportunity to meet employers face to face.

“To get in front of those people so they can put a name to a face… I mean, as you can imagine, they are seeing a lot of applications going through… but if it was me, anything that is going to give me the upper hand and having them notice my resume, I would definitely come to a hiring event to make that happen,” said Skipton.

For more information and a list of employers, click here.

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