Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced today the Tennessee preliminary unemployment rate for December was 6.6 percent, two-tenths of one percentage point lower than the November revised rate of 6.8 percent. The U.S. preliminary rate for December was 5.6 percent, also falling two-tenths of one percentage point from the prior month.Economic Summary· Over the past year, Tennessee’s unemployment rate decreased from 7.7 percent to 6.6 percent while the national rate declined from 6.7 percent to 5.6 percent.
· Total nonfarm employment increased 12,500 jobs from November to December. The largest increases occurred in trade/transportation/utilities, manufacturing, and mining/logging/construction.
· Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 66,200 jobs. The largest increases occurred in professional/business services, trade/transportation/utilities, and mining/logging/construction.
