November Unemployment Rate At 5.3% In Tennessee

While First-Time Unemployment Rates Nationwide Are At The Highest Level Since September, Tennessee’s Overall Percentage Drops 2 Points, Lower Than The National Average.

The Center Square [By Vivian Jones]-

Tennessee’s unemployment rate dropped 2 percentage points in November, landing at 5.3%, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced Thursday.

The current rate now is only 2 percentage points higher than in March and is 10.2 percentage points lower than the April unemployment rate – at the peak of COVID-19-related shutdowns.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate is below the national unemployment rate of 6.7%. It also is only 2 percentage points higher than the unemployment rate in November 2019.

About 2,100 Tennesseans returned to work between October and November, with the largest new hires occurring in the manufacturing sector. The leisure and hospitality industry continues to be most affected.