Unemployment stats moving in the right direction in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The number of new requests for unemployment benefits is at an all time high at the national level.

Tennesseans are working hard to rebound, and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development reports our stats are moving in a positive direction. In September, the unemployment rate dropped to 6.3-percent from 8.6-percent. We're inching closer and closer to pre-pandemic levels.

One year ago the unemployment rate for September 2019 was 3.3-percent. Tennessee's all-time highest unemployment rate was record in April of this year during the peak of COVID-19 business closures, it was 15.5-percent.

Unfortunately, the number of Americans across the board who are out of work for more than 27-weeks is growing.

It is usually harder to get a job the longer you are out of the workforce, but that may not be the case these days.

"When it comes to explaining a career gap on your resume really talk to the recruiter and showcase what you've done in that time to make sure that you're more marketable," said Blair Decembrele Heitmann, LinkedIn Career Expert. "Whether it be taking a course or networking with your contacts you want to really show you used the time wisely."

While you stay busy doing that, Tennessee's Department of Labor and Workforce Development reports employers are actively creating jobs where they can. More than 11,100 new positions were created between August and September.