Annual shifts in employment during the summer months increase county unemployment
Seasonal changes in employment that occur annually, such as school breaks, caused Tennessee’s county unemployment numbers to increase in June, according to new data released by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).
Unlike the statewide unemployment rate, at an all-time low in Tennessee, county unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted to consider the effects of seasonal impacts on employment. June’s data showed unemployment rates increased in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties during the month.
Eighty-two counties had unemployment rates less than 5% in June, while the remaining 13 counties had 5% or greater rates but less than 10%. Sevier and Williamson counties reported the lowest unemployment numbers for the month, with rates of 2.7%. Both counties saw an increase of 0.6 of a percentage point between May and June. Cheatham County had the next lowest rate at 2.8%, which was a 0.5 of a percentage point jump from its May rate.
Bledsoe County had the state’s highest unemployment rate in June. At 5.8%, the county experienced a 1.4 percentage point increase in a month-to-month comparison. McNairy County came in with the second-highest rate at 5.7%, a 1.5 percentage point increase from its rate in May.
Tennessee’s statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June remained at a record-breaking 3% for the second month, as TDLWD reported July 18.
Image by pvproductions on Freepik.
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