Tennessee’s unemployment rate for September 2023 inched up slightly from the state’s all-time low rate of 3.1 percent. Data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development showed the seasonally adjusted rate increased by 0.1 of a percentage point to 3.2 percent during the month.
Unemployment in Tennessee reached a historic low of 3.1 percent in July and the rate held steady at that number for two months.
The September 2023 statewide unemployment rate was 0.2 of a percentage point lower when compared to last year.
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.
During the last year, the number of new nonfarm jobs across the state increased by 54,000. The education and health services sectors saw the largest jump in employment, followed by the leisure and hospitality sector and then the government sector.
TDLWD has a complete analysis of Tennessee’s September 2023 unemployment data available
here.
Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment in September remained unchanged from the August rate of 3.8 percent.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The Employment First initiative in Tennessee has made connecting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to meaningful employment a top priority for more than a decade. When employers hire an individual’s strengths, they strengthen Tennessee's workforce. More information about the Employment First initiative in Tennessee can be found here.
The state of Tennessee will release county unemployment data for each of the state’s 95 counties on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m. CDT.