For the later half of the last decade, international investment in Alabama powered the state’s job growth, a trend that has likely continued even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Global Business Alliance, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit, conducted an analysis which found that employment in Alabama from foreign direct investment, or FDI, increased 12% from 2015 to 2020, while overall private sector job growth ticked up one percentage point for the same period.

It’s another report showing the growth of international companies in Alabama, where almost 700 are operating, with almost 117,000 jobs. More than half of those jobs, or 66,400, are in manufacturing. Companies based in Japan, Germany and Canada support the largest number of jobs in Alabama.

According to the survey, 7.3% percent of all Alabama’s jobs come as a result of FDI, and it’s a trend that is also occurring among Alabama’s neighbors. Tennessee has 7.9% FDI jobs, while Georgia has 7.4%. The national ratio is about 6%.

The report also shows the increasing share of international investment in the U.S. In the last five years, international companies created nearly 400,000 new manufacturing jobs, while the U.S. overall lost 223,000 jobs in the same sector.

In fact, according to the Alliance, international companies pay 18% of all federal corporate income taxes.

Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said the spread of international jobs in Alabama has spread to nearly every part of the state, including rural areas.

“We can point to many examples across Alabama where FDI has injected vitality into local economies, triggering the creation of good jobs and opportunities for our citizens,” he said. “The impacts are undeniable.”

The news comes at a time when Alabama is enjoying its lowest unemployment numbers ever, and did before the COVID-19 disruption that began in March 2020.

In the past decade, international investment in Alabama has surpassed $25 billion, generating more than 38,000 job commitments in industries such automotive, aviation and metals manufacturing, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce.