Staff Photo by Tim Barber
Job seeker David Burns stands on the corner on Market St. and M.L. King Blvd. Burns, 24, graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in summer of 2009.Unemployment in Tennessee remained at 9.4 percent in December, but the jobless rate rose at the end of 2010 in Georgia, state employment agencies reported Thursday.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said joblessness in December across the Volunteer State matched the U.S. rate of 9.4 percent and was down from 10.7 percent a year ago. Tennessee's unemployment rate has been constant since September.
"Employment growth continues to keep Tennessee's unemployment rate down from a year ago," Tennessee Labor Commissioner Karla Davis said. "While our rate has remained unchanged since September, we've seen growth over the last year across a diverse range of industries."
Over the past year, employment rose in professional and business services, trade, transportation, utilities, health care and social assistance. But jobs were down in Tennessee in nondurable manufacturing and financial services.
In Georgia, unemployment in December rose by 0.2 percent from November's revised rate to 10.2 percent. State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the number of payroll jobs decreased 21,800, or six-tenths of a percentage point, in the past year.
"The increase in unemployment and job loss in December is continued evidence that Georgia's job market is fragile," Butler said. "Sustained improvement will come only when employers begin adding jobs and increase hiring."
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.