Tennessee September unemployment inches up from record low

Unemployment in Tennessee inched upward in September 2023 from the state’s all-time low rate of 3.1%, The Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) reported a rate of 3.2% in September after two months of historic low rates. The rate of 3.2% is still 0.2% lower when compared to September 2022. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment in September remained unchanged from the August rate of 3.8%. Over the month, Tennessee employers created a substantial number of new jobs across the state. They reported an increase of 8,700 new nonfarm jobs. The mining, logging, and construction sector accounted for the largest percentage of those jobs, followed by the leisure and hospitality sector, and then the education and health services sector. TDLWD has a complete analysis of Tennessee’s September 2023 unemployment data available here.