The Morgan County unemployment rate increased from 7 percent in September to 7.4 percent in October, according to the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

That represents a total of 4,311 workers who are without a job, an increase of more than 300 from September. However, the number of employed persons also increased in the same month to 54,271, an increase of more than 1,200 workers.

In October, there were 58,582 people in the Morgan County workforce, an increase of more than 1,500 from September.

The Decatur metropolitan area also saw an increase in unemployment from 7.2 to 7.5 percent. Statewide, however, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percent to 8.2 percent, but the not seasonally adjusted rate actually increased from 7.6 percent to 7.8 percent.

“This month, everything worked out the way we wish it would always work out,” Alabama Labor Commissioner Tom Surtees said. “Our labor force grew, the number of Alabamians working increased, and the number of those unemployed decreased. We hope to continue seeing these positive signs in the future.”