Tennessee Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development James Neeley announced today Tennessee’s unemployment rate for April was 10.5 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the March rate of 10.6 percent. The April rate last year was 10.5 percent. The national unemployment rate for April 2010 was 9.9 percent, up from the March rate of 9.7 percent.
“The unemployment rate fell a tenth of a percentage point from last month and is the same as a year ago,” reported Labor Commissioner James Neeley. “The good news in this monthly report is that employment growth was very strong. The unemployment rate stayed about the same because of a substantial increase in the number of people reentering the labor force.”
According to the monthly Household Survey, the Tennessee labor force (3,028,500) is the highest since May 2009. The number of unemployed persons (318,300) is the lowest since March 2009.
Major Changes in Estimated Nonagricultural Employment
March 2010 to April 2010
According to the Business Survey, 9,000 job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality; 5,100 in administrative, support, and waste services; and 3,000 in trade, transportation and utilities. Major employment decreases occurred in health care and social assistance, down by 1,100; general merchandise stores declined by 800 jobs; and professional, scientific, and technical services decreased by 800.
Major Changes in Estimated Nonagricultural Employment
April 2009 to April 2010
Year-over-year increases occurred in administrative, support and waste services, up by 9,100; educational and health services gained 8,300; and retail trade was up by 5,900.
Year-over-year decreases occurred in durable goods manufacturing, down by 10,800; mining and construction lost 8,700; and transportation and warehousing decreased by 8,300.
