Unemployment rises in Tennessee but remains below U.S. average

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, file photo, job applications and information for the Gap Factory Store sit on a table during a job fair at Dolphin Mall in Miami. On Thursday, March 30, 2017, the Labor Department says weekly applications for unemployment aid dropped 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 258,000. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose to 254,250.(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, file photo, job applications and information for the Gap Factory Store sit on a table during a job fair at Dolphin Mall in Miami. On Thursday, March 30, 2017, the Labor Department says weekly applications for unemployment aid dropped 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 258,000. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose to 254,250.(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

By Dave Flessner June 14, 2018 2 min read

Tennessee’s jobless rate rose last month to its highest monthly level since last summer, but the state still had more job openings than it does people looking for work.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said today that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the state edged up from 3.4 percent in April to 3.5 percent in May. That was the highest rate since July, but the increase came due to the continued influx of workers into the labor market, not any cutback in jobs.

In fact, Tennessee employers added a net 7,800 jobs last month. Over the past 12 months, employers in Tennessee have added 53,400 jobs.

But last month, the workforce grew slightly faster than the new jobs added, boosting the jobless rate slightly. Tennessee’s jobless rate remained below the comparable U.S. rate of 3.8 percent last month.

Even with more workers in the labor market, Tennessee Career Centers said there are 177,522 available jobs in the state or 48 percent more job openings than the 119,800 persons who were unemployed but looking for work during May.