Those seeking jobs in Nashville Tennessee may soon have better luck, as the local and state economy is beginning to grow.
James Neeley, commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, recently reported that the Tennessee labor force increased by 9,700 jobs during March, which is the highest number of jobs added to the state's economy since October 2005.
At the same time, Tennessee's unemployment rate decreased by .1 percent over the month to 10.6 percent. However, sustained growth throughout the local economy is necessary to recover from the economic downturn.
Industries that saw employment gains include: leisure and hospitality by 6,600 jobs; mining and construction by 5,200 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities by 4,800 jobs; and administrative, support and waste services by 4,700 jobs.
Some industries continued to see declines in employment over the month, however, including: financial activities by 1,000 jobs; information by 700 jobs; and professional, scientific and technical services by 400 jobs.
During March, the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin area's unemployment rate decreased from 9.7 percent to 9.5 percent, which is lower than the national average of 9.7 percent.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the area had a total non-farm employment of 713,400 workers during March, up from 708,500 workers during February, but a 2 percent decrease from last year.
Seven industries in Nashville saw a monthly increase in employment, including: mining, logging and construction by 1,000 jobs; manufacturing by 200 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities by 1,000 jobs; professional and business services by 1,800 jobs; leisure and hospitality by 700 jobs; other services by 500 jobs; and government by 100 jobs.
On a yearly basis, employment in the education and health services industry increased by 1.9 percent and employment in the government industry increased by .5 percent. The mining, logging and construction industry lost the most workers from March 2009, as its workforce dropped by 11.7 percent.
