Alabama’s unemployment continues to hover in historically low territory, but you may be hoping to broaden your horizons in 2023.
If that’s the case, it might be useful to know where the big bucks are. Thanks to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, you can get some ideas for your next job application.
First some background: In December, Alabama’s unemployment rate was at 2.8%, up slightly from November’s rate of 2.7%, and outpacing the national rate of 3.5%.
That means there were 2,120,500 Alabamians who employed, according to the Alabama Department of Labor. And 2022 was a year of good job gains in several sectors.
Education and health services gained about 15,400 jobs last year, while professional and business services hired 12,700 people. Government jobs gained 8,600, and the construction sector saw 7,200 hires. Manufacturing hired another 6,600 last year.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, tracks data dealing with employment, unemployment, the labor force, wages and other factors.
In May 2021, the Bureau released its figures for employment and wages in Alabama across all occupations. A new batch of figures for 2022 is expected later this year.
When we look at median hourly wages, we can see the 20 highest listings. Remember, Alabama relies on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. The median hourly wage for all occupations is $17.91 an hour, according to the BLS.
20. Nuclear engineers – $56.47
19. Computer information and research scientists – $57.58
18. Physical scientists – $57.58.
17. Financial managers – $57.80.
16. Podiatrists – $58.30.
15. Nuclear power reactor operators – $58.99.
14. Computer hardware engineers – $59.34.
13. Aerospace engineers – $59.52.
12. Database architects – $59.61.
11. Engineers (other categories) – $60.19.
10. Computer and information systems managers – $60.82.
9. Natural sciences managers – $61.13.
8. Chief executives – $61.14.
7. Pharmacists – $61.19.
6. Architectural and engineering managers – $64.66.
5. Nurse anesthetists – $79.62.
4. General pediatricians – $80.09.
3. General dentists – $80.11.
2. Administrative judges, adjudicators and hearing officers – $84.28.
1. Family medicine physicians – $93.44.
