The economies in Athens City and Limestone County are stronger than ever according to Tom Hill, president of the Limestone County Economic Association.

“When you look at unemployment numbers and industry growth, it is clear that we are doing very well,” Hill said.

August unemployment numbers in Limestone County were at an all-time low of 3.8 percent, making this area one of the top 5 most employed counties in the state.

According to labor estimates published by the Alabama Department of Labor, 41,110 people in Limestone County were actively employed during the month of August, leaving only 1,579 residents without work.

“Most people consider 5 percent to be full employment,” Hill said. “That means that just about everybody who wants a full-time job has one right now.”

Industry has long been a cornerstone of the county’s economy and continues to provide a large chunk of the jobs here.

“During the recession of 2008-2012, things slowed down immensely,” Hill said. “But we started coming out of that in 2012 when Carpenter Technology invested $500 million to build a factory in Tanner.”

Since then, Shape Corp., Asahi Kasei Plastics, Woodbridge Alabama LP, Polaris and GE Aviation have built multimillion-dollar factories in the area, further boosting employment numbers.

Both Polaris and GE Aviation are located on Huntsville-annexed Limestone County land. GE Aviation will employ 300 people by the middle of 2018, and Polaris plans to bolster their skilled labor force to 1,700 within the next two years.

During the 2016-17 fiscal year, Limestone County industries invested $43.09 million in expansion and equipment, adding 317 jobs. Since the recession ended, industries invested $94.9 million in projects, creating 347 additional jobs.

However, all of this growth and expansion has created a shortage of skilled workers. This is a problem that Hill said is being addressed on multiple fronts.

“Industry leaders consistently tell us that schools need to turn out a more industry-friendly product,” Hill said. “And our career tech center and Calhoun have been doing a tremendous job of that.”

In the past five years, the Limestone County Career Technical Center has more than doubled their enrollment, while Calhoun Community College continues to keep pace with industry needs, recently announcing the building of a 23,400-square-foot automotive training center at their Decatur campus.

“We always are working to bring more companies in,” Hill said. “I expect the next four years to be good ones.”