Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced on Thursday the Tennessee preliminary unemployment rate for September was 7.3 percent, one tenth of one percentage point lower than the 7.4 August revised rate. The U.S. preliminary rate for September was 5.9 percent, down from 6.1 percent in August.
Economic Summary
· Tennessee's September unemployment rate declined to 7.3 percent after four consecutive months of increasing rates.
· Over the past year, Tennessee's unemployment rate decreased from 8.2 percent to 7.3 percent while the national rate declined from 7.2 percent to 5.9 percent.
· Total nonfarm employment increased 7,200 jobs from August to September. The largest increases occurred in accommodation/food services, education/health services, and government.
· Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 60,700 jobs. The largest increases occurred in professional/business services, leisure/hospitality, and trade/transportation/utilities.