Tennessee's unemployment rate is lowest in the South

State's jobless numbers remain at historic lows in October


              FILE - In this April 22, 2015, file photo, a recruiter, left, shakes hands with a job seeker during a National Career Fairs job fair in Chicago. On Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017, the U.S. Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits the week before. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
FILE - In this April 22, 2015, file photo, a recruiter, left, shakes hands with a job seeker during a National Career Fairs job fair in Chicago. On Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017, the U.S. Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits the week before. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

Jobless in October

› 3 percent: Tennessee unemployment rate unchanged› 4.3 percent: Georgia unemployment rate down 0.1 percent› 4.1 percent: U.S. unemployment rate down 0.1 percentSources: BLS, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Georgia Department of Labor

The unemployment rate in Tennessee remained a historically low 3 percent in October after employers across the state added 34,800 jobs over the past 12 months to keep the jobless rate in Tennessee the lowest in the South.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said Thursday the state's jobless rate last month held steady at 3 percent - the lowest seasonally adjusted monthly rate since comparable figures have been kept over the past three decades.

In neighboring Georgia, the jobless rate fell during October by a tenth of a percent to 4.3 percent - the lowest monthly rate in that state since March 2007, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.

Georgia's unemployment rate last month was still above the U.S. rate of 4.1 percent, but Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said employment in the Peach State rose above 4.5 million in October for the first time following job losses the previous month from Hurricane Irma.

"All the indicators - job growth, unemployment claims, labor force and employed residents - are trending in the right direction," Butler said.

Tennessee's jobless rate has been at record lows since June and has continued to decline or at least remained steady ever since, even last month when the number of seasonally adjusted jobs in the state dipped by 2,300.

In the monthly household survey, seasonally adjusted employment in Tennessee grew by 3.6 percent, or 108,700 more people on the job, over the past 12 months despite the dip in October. The state growth in employment was triple the comparable seasonally adjusted 1.2 percent growth in employed persons nationwide, according to household survey figures released by the state today.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam heralded the state's efforts to attract more jobs and investment to Tennessee as key reasons for the state's record low unemployment.

"We have focused on bringing high-quality jobs to Tennessee and have attracted companies and jobs that provide strong wages that will evolve as the economy changes," Haslam said in a statement Thursday. "We have focused on recruiting companies that will invest in Tennessee for the long-term and create lasting economic change in our communities, and our record low unemployment rate over the last five months reflects that."

Despite the tightening labor market, however, average manufacturing wage paid in Tennessee was 2 cents per hour less in October than the previous month and the state's average factory wage of $19.59 per hour in October was 7.4 percent below the U.S. average manufacturing wage of $21.07 per hour.

Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 757-6340.

Upcoming Events