Tennesseans continued returning to the workforce in counties across the state in April. According to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, nearly all counties experienced a decrease in unemployment during the month. In year-to-year comparisons, each county showed a remarkable recovery from pandemic-era unemployment rates one year ago.
The department reported 87 counties saw lower unemployment rates in April when compared to the previous month. The rates remained the same in two counties, while six counties did experience higher unemployment.
Seventy of the state’s 95 counties now have rates less than 5%. Unemployment is 5% or greater in the remaining 25 counties.
At 2.8%, Williamson and Moore counties recorded the state’s lowest unemployment for the month. Williamson’s rate is down 0.5 of a percentage point from March and 7.9 percentage points from April 2020, during the height of business closures due to the pandemic. Moore County’s rate is down 0.9 of a percentage point from March and 9.8 percentage points from its rate one year ago.
Maury County had the highest unemployment in April, at 8%, a 3.3 percentage point increase from its rate in March. When compared to April 2020, Maury County’s rate is down a staggering 14.5 percentage points. Perry County’s rate is the second-highest but remained unchanged from March at 7.8%. One year ago, the county recorded a rate of 24.1%, which is a decrease of 16.3 percentage points when comparing the two years.
A complete analysis of the April 2021 county labor force estimates is available here.
While Tennessee has seen great improvement in unemployment over the last 12 months, many residents still need to find a path back into the workforce. The state stands ready to help them navigate the job market to gain meaningful employment.
Online or in-person resources are available to job seekers in every county. Jobs4TN.gov, TNVirtualAJC.com, ApprenticeshipTN.com, and more than 80 American Job Centers across the state can provide a starting point to a new job.