Tennessee’s unemployment rate was 3.6% in December. The national rate was 4.4%, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Tennessee added 23,000 new nonfarm jobs over the past year, led by professional and business services and state government. At the same time, trade, transportation, utilities, accommodation, food services, and manufacturing lost a total of 5,100 jobs last month.
Tennessee offers adult education, English literacy, and civics classes to help residents without a high school diploma improve job prospects. According to the TDLWD, earning a High School Equivalency diploma can benefit hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans.
Tennessee offers free programs for adults to earn a High School Equivalency diploma. The state provides multiple assessments designed to meet learners at their current level.
On January 29 at 1:30 p.m. CST, Tennessee will release county-level unemployment data for all 95 counties. Analysts and policymakers will review the results to assess local and statewide trends.
