{"schema_version": 1, "id": "montgomery-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 265, "label": "Montgomery, AL MSA", "slug": "montgomery-al-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T07:54:21.565598+00:00", "headline": "Montgomery jobless rate rises as more workers enter the market.", "headline_summary": "Alabama unemployment climbed to 3.5% even as prime-age labor force participation rose to 79.5%, while Montgomery's skilled trades pay \u2014 HVAC technician wages up significantly \u2014 outpaces softening office-sector pay.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Alabama unemployment rate", "value": "3.5%", "context": "Up from 2.8% a year ago; highest since 2021"}, {"label": "Prime-age labor force participation", "value": "79.5%", "context": "Up from 78.4% year-over-year (Alabama)"}, {"label": "Montgomery metro nonfarm employment", "value": "184,600 jobs", "context": "September 2026, preliminary"}, {"label": "Statewide WARN-affected workers", "value": "6,635 workers / 24 months", "context": "vs. 340,316 nationally year-to-date"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Unemployment uptick reflects labor supply growth.", "body": "Alabama's jobless rate rose to 3.5% even as prime-age labor force participation climbed to 79.5% from 78.4% a year earlier, and wage and salary employment grew by 24,300 statewide. Montgomery's own employment count of 184,600 jobs in September suggests the metro is adding workers to its labor pool faster than it is adding jobs, a sign of economic normalization."}, {"headline": "Skilled trades pay is outrunning white-collar pay locally.", "body": "Montgomery's HVAC technician advertised pay rose significantly this month and electricians posted moderate gains, while Operations Manager and Warehouse Manager pay both moved down significantly. Construction and manufacturing also led Alabama's statewide weekly wage records, consistent with a regional economy where physical infrastructure and skilled trade capacity may be the binding constraint on growth."}, {"headline": "Metro wages trail national levels across nearly every tracked role.", "body": "Montgomery's advertised pay for registered nurses ($91,361), software engineers ($141,239), and administrative roles sits meaningfully below national medians, even where local trends point up. For commerce leaders weighing site selection or expansion, this gap may represent a durable cost advantage, provided it does not reflect a widening skills or participation shortfall relative to peer metros."}, {"headline": "No major layoff signal locally, a point of stability worth flagging.", "body": "State WARN activity in October was limited to a single Montgomery-area filing, Acme Brick Co. (53 workers), against a national backdrop of nearly 3,900 WARN filings and 340,000 affected workers year-to-date. Absence of large-scale local displacement is consistent with a metro economy in a holding pattern."}], "local_conditions": "Montgomery metro unemployment held at 3.4% in July, tracking state-level softening as Alabama's rate climbed to 3.5% in September, its highest mark since 2021, while nonagricultural employment reached 184,600 jobs in September. Manufacturing (20,000 jobs), leisure/hospitality (18,200), and health care (16,600) continue to anchor the metro's employment base, with Hyundai's manufacturing presence and statewide construction and government job gains offsetting a slight month-over-month dip in Alabama's total employed count.", "implications": "Rising unemployment paired with Alabama's prime-age labor force participation climbing to 79.5% suggests more residents are entering the labor market, a distinction that matters for how commerce leaders read headline unemployment figures when assessing local consumer demand and workforce availability for expansion plans. Metro wage data showing gains concentrated in skilled trades (HVAC technician pay up significantly) alongside softening in administrative and operations roles points to an economy rewarding technical and construction-adjacent skills. Current conditions suggest government economists and chamber leaders track prime-age participation alongside the headline rate before drawing conclusions about local demand weakness.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Watch whether Alabama's September unemployment uptick (3.5%) continues into October state data, due out roughly mid-November, to confirm whether labor force growth or job loss is the dominant driver."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Montgomery's skilled trades wage momentum (HVAC, electrician) against continued construction and manufacturing job gains statewide may signal where capacity constraints bind first as any new industrial investment is announced."}, {"category": "Policy-relevant", "body": "National immigration enforcement and labor force participation trends are reshaping labor supply in several states; Montgomery-area economists should watch whether local labor force participation diverges from the statewide 79.5% prime-age figure in coming releases."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "National wage growth (2.4%-4.1% depending on measure) continues trailing CPI inflation (3.7%); watch whether Montgomery's advertised pay figures, several of which are flagged stable or down this month, begin to compress household purchasing power enough to show up in retail and hospitality sales data."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 21828.25, "metro_p50": 27867.2, "metro_p75": 32250.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33340.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 22880.0, "metro_p50": 25549.0, "metro_p75": 27431.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 31268.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29327.0, "metro_p50": 33896.0, "metro_p75": 37440.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 38480.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58143.0, "metro_p50": 79722.6, "metro_p75": 88400.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29120.0, "metro_p50": 32301.0, "metro_p75": 36400.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 34826.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32900.0, "metro_p50": 34865.0, "metro_p75": 34866.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 40726.6, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55664.0, "metro_p50": 67868.0, "metro_p75": 76135.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71835.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29202.0, "metro_p50": 32552.0, "metro_p75": 37440.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30359.0, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "metro_p75": 40775.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26488.0, "metro_p50": 28018.0, "metro_p75": 29410.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33764.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29120.0, "metro_p50": 35048.0, "metro_p75": 38941.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41600.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29525.0, "metro_p50": 37476.0, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 44552.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 53252.75, "metro_p50": 62400.0, "metro_p75": 70540.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 77740.5, "metro_p50": 91361.0, "metro_p75": 98207.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 104541.75, "metro_p50": 141238.8, "metro_p75": 156947.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 98895.75, "metro_p50": 128543.4, "metro_p75": 140645.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 138000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54000.0, "metro_p50": 63908.0, "metro_p75": 70175.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 72000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 72739.0, "metro_p50": 94498.0, "metro_p75": 112948.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58013.0, "metro_p50": 70969.0, "metro_p75": 85418.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 59170.0, "metro_p50": 85402.2, "metro_p75": 112500.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 55900.0, "metro_p50": 70071.6, "metro_p75": 75736.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 86294.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 39520.0, "metro_p50": 59806.0, "metro_p75": 68024.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 55908.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 63459.0, "metro_p50": 106730.0, "metro_p75": 130462.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 94009.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 43698.25, "metro_p50": 57387.4, "metro_p75": 77854.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 74250.0, "metro_p50": 99156.0, "metro_p75": 104628.75, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 98302.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 62400.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 100601.5, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 42640.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 63508.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 138431.5, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 85608.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 85000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 62400.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 27546.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 65467.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [{"source_name": "Alabama Department of Workforce", "source_url": null, "statement": "Montgomery metro unemployment and September employment totals"}, {"source_name": "NBC15 News / BLS", "source_url": null, "statement": "Alabama unemployment rose to 3.5% in September 2026, highest since 2021"}, {"source_name": "Alabama Department of Labor", "source_url": null, "statement": "Alabama prime-age labor force participation rose to 79.5%"}, {"source_name": "Alabama Department of Workforce", "source_url": null, "statement": "Alabama added 24,300 wage and salary jobs year-over-year"}, {"source_name": "Alabama WARN Notice Tracker", "source_url": null, "statement": "Acme Brick Co. Montgomery WARN filing, 53 workers, Oct. 26"}, {"source_name": "LayoffAlert", "source_url": null, "statement": "National WARN filings total 3,860 affecting 340,316 workers through Oct. 26"}], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "montgomery-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "montgomery-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "montgomery-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:26:29.331676+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/montgomery-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/montgomery-al-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}