Newly released data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development showed Tennessee recorded another month of lower unemployment in February. It marked the second consecutive month of decreased jobless numbers across the state.
The February 2022 seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4% was a 0.1 of a percentage point drop from January’s rate of 3.5%. The new figure came in 1.6 percentage points lower than the 2021 rate of 5%.
Tennessee employers created thousands of new jobs during the month. Between January and February, workers filled 19,000 nonfarm positions. The largest increases were in the construction sector, followed by the administrative, support, and waste services sector, and then the accommodation and food services sector.
Between 2021 and 2022, nonfarm employment across Tennessee grew by 129,500 jobs. The largest increase came in the leisure and hospitality sector. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector had the second-largest increase, followed by the professional and business services sector.
Unemployment across the United States also dropped slightly in February. The nationwide seasonally adjusted rate inched down by 0.2 of a percentage point to 3.8%. One year ago, the national jobless rate was 6.2%.
A complete analysis of Tennessee’s February 2022 unemployment data, including industry-specific statistics, is available here.
Jobs4TN.gov has tens of thousands of job postings from employers in and around Tennessee, including many work-from-home job opportunities.
Tennesseans have access to both online and in-person job seeker services where career specialists can help them devise a back-to-work plan. They can access those services at their local American Job Center or the state’s workforce development websites. All the information needed to get started is available at www.TNWorkReady.com.