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New unemployment claims rise in Tennessee despite nationwide decline

FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2021 file photo, a passer-by walks past an employment hiring sign while entering a Target store location, in Westwood, Mass. The Federal Reserve says there's evidence that hiring has picked up in recent weeks, though the job market remains badly damaged by the pandemic. In its semi-annual monetary policy report released Friday, Feb. 19, the Fed says job data compiled by payroll processor ADP indicate that employment improved modestly through early February. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2021 file photo, a passer-by walks past an employment hiring sign while entering a Target store location, in Westwood, Mass. The Federal Reserve says there's evidence that hiring has picked up in recent weeks, though the job market remains badly damaged by the pandemic. In its semi-annual monetary policy report released Friday, Feb. 19, the Fed says job data compiled by payroll processor ADP indicate that employment improved modestly through early February. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

By Staff and wire reports 3 min read

Despite a nationwide drop in the number of Americans filing new unemployment claims last week, initial filings for jobless benefits rose in Tennessee last week.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said Thursday that 12,077 Tennesseans, including 348 in Hamilton County and 140 in Bradley County, filed new claims for jobless benefits last week. The statewide total of initial claims was up by 3,961 from the previous week and remained elevated above what Tennessee was seeing for jobless claims at the end of last year.

According to the personal finance site WalletHub, Tennessee ranked as the seventh lowest state among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for the pace of its jobs recovery during the pandemic.

Nationwide, the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week in a sign that layoffs may have eased, though applications for aid remain at a historically high level.

Jobless claims declined by 111,000 from the previous week to a seasonally adjusted 730,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It is the lowest figure since late November and the sharpest one-week decline since August. Still, before the virus erupted in the United States last March, weekly applications for unemployment benefits had never topped 700,000.