Unemployment Up Slightly in Tennessee

Tennessee’s statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2019 inched up slightly to 3.3 percent after remaining at an all-time historic low for three consecutive months, according to data released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).
May’s preliminary rate of 3.3 percent is 0.1 of a percentage point higher than the previous month’s rate. Since February, unemployment across the state had held steady at a record 3.2 percent.
When comparing year-to-year statistics, the current rate is 0.3 of a percentage point lower than it was in May 2018.
Total nonfarm employment in Tennessee grew by 3,900 jobs between April and May. The most significant amount of growth occurred in the accommodation/food services and nondurable goods manufacturing sectors.
In a year-to-year comparison, employers created 47,400 nonfarm jobs between May 2018 and May 2019 with the leisure/hospitality, trade/transportation/utilities, and manufacturing seeing the most jobs added.
Nationally, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.6 percent.