Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced Thursday the Tennessee preliminary unemployment rate for April was 6.0 percent, three-tenths of one percentage point lower than the March revised rate of 6.3 percent. The U.S. preliminary rate for April was 5.4 percent, one-tenth of one percentage point lower than the prior month.
Tennessee's April unemployment rate is the third consecutive monthly decline and is the lowest rate in seven years.
Over the past year, Tennessee's unemployment rate decreased from 6.5 percent to 6.0 percent, while the national rate declined from 6.2 percent to 5.4 percent.
Total nonfarm employment increased 6,400 jobs from March to April. The largest increases occurred in accommodation/food services, administrative/support/waste services, mining/logging/construction, and finance/insurance.
Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 47,000 jobs. The largest increases occurred in
trade/transportation/utilities, professional/business services, and durable goods manufacturing.