Preliminary data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) indicated Tennessee’s unemployment rate for May 2022 increased slightly from April’s record-breaking number. The seasonally adjusted statewide rate for the month was 3.3%, 0.1 of a percentage point higher than the previous month’s revised figure.

May 2022 unemployment numbers for individual counties across the state will be released later this week. We do know that numbers are low and should be similar to what we saw in April, when Smyrna had the lowest jobless rate in Rutherford County at 2.4%, which is a 1.5% drop compared to April of 2021 (unemployment rate of 3.9% in April of 2021). Murfreesboro's jobless rate for April was 2.6%. One year prior in 2021, Murfreesboro recorded a 3.9% unemployment rate. LaVergne had an unemployment figure of 2.6% in April, which was a big improvement compared to the 4.5% unemployment rate that was recorded in April of 2021.

The state’s civilian workforce also grew in May and reached a new high. The seasonally adjusted number for the month came in at 3,405,582, up from 3,388,428 in April. Tennessee also saw an increase in the number of citizens who were employed in May, up nearly 15,000 workers to 3,293,564. The state’s Labor Force Participation rate also surpassed 61% for the first time in over two years.
 

Tennessee employers added 3,700 nonfarm jobs to their payrolls between April and May. The construction sector added the most jobs. The state government sector saw the next largest increase, followed by the professional, scientific, and technical services sector.
 
Over the last year, the state’s nonfarm employment grew by 135,000 jobs. The largest increase came from the leisure and hospitality sector, followed by the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, and then the professional and business services sector.

Nationally, the unemployment rate for the United States was unchanged in May, mirroring the seasonally adjusted April rate of 3.6%. That number does mark a decrease of 2.2 percentage points when compared to the May 2021 national unemployment rate.

Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs Available in TENNESSEE: The state’s jobs database currently has listings for hundreds of thousands of open positions across and near Tennessee. Job seekers can access Jobs4TN.gov and the other online services the state of Tennessee offers residents looking for meaningful employment at www.TNWorkReady.com. If you lack ideas on what job path is right for you, career specialists are available to work one-on-one with job seekers at nearly 80 American Job Centers located in counties across Tennessee. Jobseekers can find the closest job center to here.