NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) -- The state Department of Labor reported Thursday morning that just under 69,000 Tennesseans made initial applications for unemployment benefits last week.
That brings the five week total of initial jobless claims in Tennessee to roughly 393,000 workers.
The number of initial applications continues to fall from a high of 116,000 claims made during the week ending April 4th. In Thursday's report, claims were down about 8 percent from the previous week’s nearly 75,000 applications.
The state Department of Labor has struggled to process the rush of new claims resulting from coronavirus layoffs and furloughs.
The department says it has added hundreds of new workers to its claims staff, either through new hires or the transfer of pandemic idled state workers from other state agencies. It has also added additional server capacity to meet growing pressure on its unemployment online portal.
