TENNESSEE: A year-to-year comparison of recently released unemployment data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) shows the July 2019 statewide seasonally adjusted rate of 3.5 percent matches the figure from the same month a year ago.

The July 2019 statistic represents a small increase of 0.1 of a percentage point when compared to June's revised unemployment rate of 3.4 percent.

"Summer is a time of year when Tennesseans are in transition," said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. "People are moving, coming home and going back to school, changing jobs, and taking time for themselves which impacts unemployment at various levels across the state."

Over the last 12 months, nonfarm employment in Tennessee grew by 55,100 new positions, with the majority of those jobs in the leisure/hospitality, manufacturing, and trade/transportation/utilities sectors.

Nationally, the unemployment situation remained steady in July. The seasonally adjusted rate of 3.7 percent mirrored the United States rate from June. In a year-to-year comparison, unemployment across the country dropped by 0.2 of a percentage point last month compared to the same time period in 2018.

The state of Tennessee makes a wide range of job search assistance available through its workforce development website, www.Jobs4TN.gov. Job seekers can navigate nearly 200,000 current job openings; as well as take advantage of free online resume assistance, job interview advice and other services when they visit the site.