State sees three consecutive months of record low unemployment

NASHVILLE — For a third consecutive month, the statewide unemployment rate remained at an all-time low of 3%, according to new data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). The state first marked the record low for seasonally adjusted unemployment in May, and it has held steady ever since.

Over the past year, Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate dropped 0.2 of a percentage point, from 3.2% to 3%.

Employers across the state added 2,000 new nonfarm jobs to their payrolls between June and July. The construction sector accounted for most of the new jobs. The healthcare and social assistance sector was responsible for the next highest amount of job growth, followed by the wholesale trade sector.

Comparing year-to-year job growth, Tennessee has 22,600 additional nonfarm jobs. The largest increase in employment was in the education and health services sector, followed by the mining, logging, and construction sector, and then the trade, transportation, and utilities sector.

Unlike Tennessee and its record-low unemployment, the nationwide rate increased during July. Seasonally adjusted unemployment grew by 0.2 of a percentage point to 4.3% across the United States.

In a year-to-year comparison, the national unemployment rate jumped 0.8 of a percentage point, from 3.5% to 4.3%.

While the state has record-low unemployment numbers, many Tennesseans are still searching for work or better employment. TDLWD offers many job seeker resources at no cost, and job seekers can start their search online at TNWorkReady.com.

Tennesseans without a high school diploma can improve their employment situation by taking Adult Education classes at no cost. TDLWD’s New Pathways to a Diploma program allows adult learners to use different testing methods to earn their equivalency diploma, so they can tailor test-taking to the best of their ability.