NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says Tennessee’s unemployment rate for June was the lowest in recorded state history.
At a news conference Thursday, Haslam said the 3.6 percent figure is best the state has performed since at least 1976, when the statistic started being recorded.
June’s preliminary seasonally adjusted rate surpasses the previous low mark of 3.7 percent in March 2000. The last time Tennessee registered below 4 percent was February 2001.
Haslam’s office says the improvement occurred as the national preliminary rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.4 percent over the same month.
Tennessee’s June unemployment shift is largely due to a drop in the unemployment rate for the seasonally adjusted labor force.
Haslam pointed to Tennessee’s low taxes, business environment, high quality of life and workforce preparation.
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