PDF: February 2010 county unemployment WHAT'S NEXTThe U.S. Department of Labor will release the U.S. jobless rate for March at 8:30 a.m. today. Forecasters expect to see no change from the 9.7 percent rate in February.
Unemployment in the Chattanooga area fell during February from its recession high at the start of the year, suggesting that the worst of the recession may be over.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported Thursday that the jobless rate in the six-county Chattanooga metropolitan area fell by 0.2 percent during February to 9.8 percent. In neighboring metro Cleveland, Tenn., unemployment dropped in February by a comparable amount to 10.4 percent.
"The employment data seems to be saying that the labor market bottomed out at the beginning of the year and we're beginning to see slight job increases," said Dr. William Fox, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee. "But the unemployment rate may still stay stubbornly high as more people come into the work force as labor conditions seem to improve."
For all of 2010, Dr. Fox expects Tennessee's jobless rate will hover around 10 percent, only slightly below the nonseasonally adjusted rate of 11.4 percent in February.
| Trail Name | Location | Length | Construction Date | Status |
| Bryce Davis Park Trail | Old Missouri Road | 0.18-mile | January | Ready for Construction |
| Mud Creek Trail Extension | Old Missouri Road | 0.23-mile | January | Ready for Construction |
| Frisco Trail, | Maple Street south to Spring Street | 0.40-mile | Spring 2010 | Two Easements Needed |
| UA Farm/Shiloh Trail | Across UA Farm | 2.35-miles | Winter 2010 | UA Easement Needed |
| Oak Ridge Trail | Frisco Trail west along Center Street to UA | 0.50-mile | Fall 2010 | AHTD Grant Approval Needed |
Terry Bragg, a 45-year-old unemployed mill worker applying for benefits earlier this week, said the current job market still is as tough as he has ever seen.
"Years ago, you could just walk into any of these mills and get a job," he said. "It's a lot different today."
Harold Howard, a 61-year-old Ringgold, Ga., resident, lost his job when R.L. Stowe closed its mill in January 2009.
"Jobs today are few and far between, especially at my age," he said after applying for the last of his jobless benefits this week at the state employment office in Chattanooga.
Across the 11 counties in Southeast Tennessee, unemployment fell in February in all but McMinn County. But outside of Hamilton County, where the jobless rate fell in February by 0.2 percent to 9.7 percent, unemployment remained in double digits and above the comparable U.S. jobless rate.
Metropolitan Athens, Tenn., had one of the state's highest jobless rates at 14.3 percent in February, up from 14.1 percent in January.
Rural and smaller metro counties have suffered more than Tennessee's biggest cities because of their larger dependence upon manufacturing. Statewide in the past year, Tennessee lost 26,200 manufacturing jobs.
Tennessee's seasonally adjusted jobless rate peaked last summer but has remained above 10 percent ever since.
Tennessee Labor Commissioner James Neeley said February's jobless rate was relatively stable for the third consecutive month.
"Both of our major employment surveys show net gains in employment, which is positive, but significant hiring has yet to occur," he said.