Tennessee's Unemployment Rate for December Decreases to 6.6%

NASHVILLE – 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.

For a schedule of media release dates, please visit https://www.tn.gov/workforce/general-resources/news.html .

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