An influx of workers into the labor market pushed up unemployment in Tennessee last month even though the state added 10,000 more jobs during February.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported today that Tennessee's jobless rate during February rose to 9.6 percent. Unemployment in the Volunteer State remained above the nationwide average of 8.9 percent in February, although Tennessee's jobless rate was still 0.6 percent below the 10.2 percent jobless rate last month in neighboring Georgia.
"Tennessee had 15,400 who entered the labor force - more than 10,000 of whom were able to find jobs," said Commissioner Karla Davis. "The unemployment rate increase is largely attributable to the remaining 5,000 workers who were unable to find work."
Over the past year, Tennessee has added 35,000 jobs, or 1.4 percent of employment, Davis said.