Tennessee's Unemployment Rate for February Decreased To 6.6%

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced today the Tennessee preliminary unemployment rate for February was 6.6 percent, one-tenths of one percentage point lower than the January revised rate of 6.7 percent. The U.S. preliminary rate for February was 5.5 percent, down two-tenths of one percentage point from the prior month.

Economic Summary

• Over the past year, Tennessee's unemployment rate increased from 6.5 percent to 6.6 percent while the national rate decreased from 6.7 percent to 5.5 percent.
• Total nonfarm employment decreased 800 jobs from January to February. The largest decreases occurred in administrative/support/waste services, accommodation/food services, and local government.
• Over the year, nonfarm employment increased 60,400 jobs. The largest increases occurred in trade/transportation/utilities, professional/business services, and manufacturing.

For a schedule of media release dates, please visit http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/news/tfs.shtml.

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