Unemployment in Tennessee declined by a tenth of a percentage point last month as employers in the Volunteer State added a net 8,300 jobs during February, according to job figures released today.
But Tennessee's jobless rate of 5.3 percent remained well above the U.S. rate of 4.7 percent last month.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development said today that employment in the state has increased over the past year by 66,100 jobs, or 0.6 percent. But the jobless rate is up from a year ago because of the influx of more workers in the labor force.
"When you see the unemployment tick up over a period of time, that always catches your attention," Tennessee labor commissioner Burns Phillips said. "But when you look at the statistics, they tell an interesting story about Tennessee."
Tennessee continues to add jobs, albeit at a pace that is slower than in most economic recoveries. But the jobless rate has still risen as workers have moved to Tennessee or joined the labor force after previously dropping out or not choosing to participate actively in either working or actively pursuing a job.
"As the number of people looking for jobs across the state grows faster than the hiring process, we have really focused on preparing those job seekers for employment with key resources like Jobs4TN.gov and our American Job Centers," Phillips said.
The jobless rate in neighboring Georgia dropped by two-tenths of a percentage point last month to match Tennessee's 5.3 percent rate, according to another report released today by the Georgia Department of Labor.
"Our unemployment rate fell as Georgia set new record highs for the number of people employed and for the size of our labor force, which crossed the five-million mark for the first time," Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said today. "Our employers continued to create jobs at a strong pace and we saw a significant drop in the number of new layoffs."
In February, the number of employed workers in Georgia increased by 21,181. Over the past year, Georgia has added 114,000 jobs, the Georgia Department of Labor said today.