Seasonal Work Impacts January County Unemployment Rates

NASHVILLE – The end of seasonal work at the start of the new year was one of the contributing factors that led to higher county unemployment rates across Tennessee in January. While statewide unemployment numbers are adjusted to consider the impacts of seasonal labor, county unemployment rates are not adjusted.

Each of Tennessee’s 95 counties experienced an increase in unemployment during January, according to new data released by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Eighty-five counties reported rates less than 5%, while the remaining ten counties had rates of 5% or greater, but less than 10%.

Williamson and Moore counties had the state’s lowest unemployment for the month. Both counties recorded rates of 2.2% in January. That represented a 0.3 of a percentage point increase for Williamson County and a 0.2 of a percentage point increase for Moore County, when compared to their revised December 2021 rates.

At 9.2%, Perry County had the highest unemployment rate in the state. Its January number increased by 2 percentage points when compared to the revised December rate. Cocke County had Tennessee's second-highest rate for the month. The new figure of 7.1% marked a 2.3 percentage point increase from December.

Statewide, January’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.5% was the lowest it has been since November 2019. It was down 0.1 of a percentage point from December’s revised rate of 3.6%.

Across the nation, seasonally adjusted unemployment for January increased slightly from 3.9% to 4%.

A complete analysis of the January 2022 county unemployment data is available here.

Tennessee has more than 100 American Job Centers across the state where job seekers can walk in and receive one-on-one help finding a job. From resume writing to skills training programs, career specialists can help individuals take advantage of all the services available to them.

Job seekers can also find a variety of services online. From a virtual American Job Center to information on adult education programs, it is all available at TNWorkReady.com.

The state of Tennessee will release the statewide unemployment rate for February 2022 on Thursday, March 24, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. CT.