Unemployment Holds Steady In December

Unemployment in Tennessee held steady during the final month of 2023. Newly released data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development showed the rate did not change between November and December at 3.5%.

The seasonally adjusted rate of 3.5% for December 2023 also mirrored the rate from December one year ago.

In a month-to-month comparison, Tennessee employers added 1,400 new nonfarm jobs across the state. The health care and social assistance sector saw the most growth in December. The construction sector recorded the next largest number of new jobs, followed by the accommodation and food services sector.

Over the last year, the number of new nonfarm jobs grew by 22,700 across Tennessee. The health care and social assistance sector accounted for the largest percentage of new jobs between 2022 and 2023. The professional, scientific, and technical services sector added the second-largest number of jobs during the year, followed by the accommodation and food services sector.

A complete analysis of Tennessee's 2023 statewide unemployment data is available here.

Seasonally adjusted unemployment also held steady across the nation between November and December at 3.7%. One year ago, the national unemployment rate sat at 3.5%.

Employers across Tennessee continue to search for skilled and qualified workers to help their businesses and our state's economy thrive. Job seekers can search through hundreds of thousands of job openings or find the American Job Center closest to them by logging onto TNWorkReady.com.