Jobless in September
› 5.1 percent — U.S. unemployment, unchanged from August› 5.7 percent — Tennessee unemployment, unchanged from August› 5.9 percent — Georgia unemployment, unchanged from AugustSource: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Georgia Department of Labor
The number of unemployed Tennesseans fell to the lowest number in seven and a half years last month as employers began to struggle to fill some skilled and trade jobs.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said Thursday that the jobless rate in September was unchanged for the fourth consecutive month at 5.7 percent. Although above the comparable 5.1 percent unemployment rate for the U.S. as a whole, Tennessee’s job growth has outpaced the rest of the country and the number of jobless persons in the Volunteer State last month was the lowest since February 2008.
According to household surveys of workers in Tennessee, employment grew in Tennessee over the past year by a seasonally adjusted 3 percent, or 82,800 jobs. Nationwide, employment grew by 1.5 percent in the past year.
In Georgia, the jobless rate in September also was unchanged at 5.9 percent. Georgia employers, according to the state Labor Department, added 80,000 jobs in the past year.