Unemployment

Williamson County Again Has State's Best Jobless Numbers

Mike Osborne — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:36:52 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- The Tennessee Department of Labor has released the county level unemployment numbers for December and Williamson County is once again reporting the state’s lowest jobless rate.

Williamson County’s unemployment rate in December stood at five percent, well below the state average of 7.6 percent.

Williamson County routinely reports the states best jobless numbers and also routinely ranks as one of the top counties in the nation for job creation.

Average College Debt More Than $26,000

AP/WMOT — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:23:22 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP/WMOT) — A new nation-wide report shows two-thirds of the college class of 2011 finished school with loan debt, and those who borrowed walked off the graduation stage owing more than $26,600. That's up about 5 percent from the class before.

The latest figures are calculated in a report by The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS). The report does not include most graduates of for-profit colleges, who typically borrow more than their counterparts elsewhere.

New Jobless Benefits on Declining Scale

Associated Press — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:05:27 +0000

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — State labor officials have begun enforcing new unemployment requirements passed by the Legislature.

WMOT-FM (http://bit.ly/VRBvTq ) reported that the longer a person is jobless, the less salary he or she can refuse and still keep unemployment benefits.

Tenn. Jobless Rate Up 4 Months in a Row

Associated Press — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:48:51 +0000

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's unemployment rate rose slightly in August to 8.5 percent, the fourth consecutive month there’s been an increase.

Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis says that the increase is one-tenth of a percentage point increase over the previous month.

Tennessee’s jobless rate has now climbed four-tenths above the national unemployment rate of 8.1 percent.

Latest Jobless Numbers Mostly Good News for Mid-State

Mike Osborne — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:33:36 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- The Tennessee Department of Labor has released the county-level unemployment numbers for July.

The state unemployment rate jumped last month by two-tenth to 8.4 percent. The national jobless rate also rose by a tenth to 8.3 percent.

Williamson County continues to have the mid-state’s lowest unemployment at just under six percent. Davidson, Sumner, Rutherford and Wilson counties are all reporting jobless numbers at 7.4 percent or lower.

Tennessee Unemployment Back Above the National Average

Associated Press — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:03:38 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Tennessee’s unemployment rate rose sharply in July.

Joblessness jumped three tenths of one percent to 8.4 percent, pushing it above the national rate of 8.3 percent.

The new rate is the highest Tennessee has seen since last December, but still a full percentage point below August 2011.

In spite of rising unemployment, Tennessee saw strong job growth in July in the manufacturing, health care and government employment sectors. The state lost jobs in hospitality, business services, and transportation.

More than 48,000 Tennesseans to Lose Jobless Benefits

Mike Osborne — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:34:24 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- More than 48,000 Tennesseans could lose their extended unemployment benefits by the end of the year.

As the recession gathered steam in early 2008, Congress authorized the first in a series of emergency extensions to unemployment benefits. With the jobless rate rising rapidly, the extra benefits were intended to tide the long-term unemployed over until the jobless rate began to fall.

Tenn. Sees Employment Gains Eighth Straight Month

AP/WMOT — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:58:03 +0000

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Good news on the jobs front as Tennessee’s March unemployment rate dipped just below 8 percent.

Tennessee Works - Recession Proof Jobs

Mike Osborne — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:03:37 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) – WMOT News is looking at sectors of the Tennessee economy that have prospered in hard times in a series of stories we’re calling "Tennessee Works."

Tennessee’s unemployment rate peaked in June of 2009 at 10.8 percent. Joblessness has fallen slowly in the months since, but is still uncomfortably high at eight percent.

There are some professions, though, that enjoyed low unemployment even at the height of the great recession.

Construction Employment on the Rise in Tennessee

Mike Osborne — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:44:10 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- There are indications that construction in Tennessee is starting to rebound.

Unemployment in the construction trades fell in the state by an average of more than nine percent per month over the winter.

Bill Young is a spokesman for the 600 member Associated General Contractors of Tennessee. He says the AGC’s member companies are now reporting an improved business climate.