Slow economic recovery for Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Alabama might not recover jobs lost to the recession until 2013.

That's according to a Massachusetts group that says Alabama and several of its Southeastern neighbors are among more than a dozen states that will need another three years to return to previous peak employment levels.

Karl Kuykendall, an IHS Global Insight regional economist who covers the Southeast, says states like Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia relied heavily on manufacturing, especially the auto industry, which were hit hard by this recession.

Researchers also estimate Florida won't recover its lost jobs until 2014.