NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — The number of unemployed Tennesseans is at its lowest point since the economic meltdown of 2008.
The state Department of Labor announced Thursday that the unemployment figure for December was 235,700. The State says that's the lowest number since October 2008.
More than 2.8 million people are currently employed in Tennessee, the highest total since March 2008.
Department of Labor spokesman Jeff Hentschel says Tennessee’s manufacturing sector has enjoyed especially strong job growth, jumping by more than 12 percent in the last year.
“Tennessee has a higher – than the national average – amount of jobs in manufacturing and over the years we saw those jobs going away. But now, to see a strong durable goods sector of the economy improving is very encouraging.”
Hentschel says Tennessee added about 6,000 non-farm jobs between November and December.