Tennessee reached its highest monthly unemployment rate ever in April as the state managed safety concerns raised by the new coronavirus outbreak by closing non-essential businesses, a move that has led to more than a half-million jobless claims. The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development reported Thursday that the preliminary seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for April was 14.7%. That represents an ‘unprecedented spike’ of 11.4 percentage points when compared to March’s revised rate of 3.3%. Orders from Gov. Bill Lee and city and county officials led to closings of businesses throughout Tennessee as part of the mass response to the new coronavirus outbreak.
Tennessee reaches highest ever monthly jobless rate
May 22, 2020 | 5:00 AM