The unemployment rate in Tennessee remained historically low across the state last month, according to state officials, but Memphis has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.
The state unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in July for the third month in a row, according to a
report released Thursday by Gov. Bill Haslam and Burns Phillips, commissioner of the state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Memphis’ June unemployment rate was one of the highest in the state at 5.2 percent, according to the latest data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
At 3.2 percent, Nashville had the lowest rate in the state. The national unemployment rate stands at 3.9 percent.
In Tennessee, 2,500 new, non-farm job were created between June and July this year.
“Tennessee’s economy is strong and that shows in both a continuous low unemployment rate and the creation of more new jobs,” Haslam said. “We have worked hard to get to where we are, by creating an environment in Tennessee where businesses can thrive and building strong workforce development programs that are paying off for both citizens and employers.”
In the past year, nonfarm employment has increased by sum 56,300 jobs, according to state officials.
“It’s encouraging to see so many new jobs coming to Tennessee,” Phillips said. “We have the state’s business services teams out in communities across the state, working closely with companies, to ensure they have a qualified workforce to fill those positions.”
Department of Labor and Workforce Development