State’s unemployment remains at 5.1 percent

The unemployment rate for October although unchanged from September was a full percentage point below the October 2003 unemployment rate of 6.1 percent.

The state’s unemployment figure for October was also below the national rate of 5.5 percent.

“The household survey showed 2.3 percent growth in employment over the year, which is at or above the long-term trend for Tennessee,” said Labor Commissioner James Neeley.

Leisure and hospitality added 5,900 jobs from a year earlier, fueling the decrease in the unemployment rate. Educational/health services increased by 4,800 jobs.

Losses in jobs over the year came in administrative/waste services, down 1,600, and state government, which lost 1,000 jobs. The information sector lost 900 jobs.

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On the Net:
Labor Department: http://www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/labor—figures