County's unemployment now 11.2 percent

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Bedford County's unemployment rate jumped again -- this time to 11.2 percent, according to preliminary figures released Thursday by the state department of Labor & Workforce Development.

That's 87 percent higher than the jobless rate was reported for the county a year ago, when unemployment was at only 6 percent.

Preliminary numbers for the county showed a labor force of 22,710 for Bedford County, with 20,160 employed and a total of 2,550 out of work.

Also, preliminary numbers released last month stated that the county's jobless rate for February was 10.8 percent, however, revised figures for that month now place it slightly lower at 10.7 percent.

Tennessee's unemployment rate for March was 9.6 percent, up 0.6 percentage point from the revised February rate of 9.0 percent.

The March rate a year ago was for Tennessee was 5.7 percent and he national unemployment rate for March was 8.5 percent, up from the February rate of 8.1 percent.

"The unemployment rate continues on an upward trend and economists predict Tennessee will face difficult months ahead," said Labor Commissioner James Neeley.

"For the first time in several months, however, we are seeing increases in retail trade and leisure and hospitality employment, which are encouraging signs."

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for March show that the rate increased in 74 counties, decreased in 19 counties and remained the same in two counties.

Lincoln County registered the state's lowest county unemployment rate at 6.9 percent, down from 7.0 percent in February. Perry County had the state's highest unemployment rate at 25.4 percent, up from 24.1 in February, followed by Scott County at 18.8 percent, up from 18.0 percent in February.

Knox County had the state's lowest major metropolitan rate of 7.3 percent, up 0.2 percentage point from the February rate. Davidson County was 7.9 percent, up 0.4 from the previous month.

Hamilton County was at 8.0 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from the February rate, and Shelby County was 8.9 percent, up from the February rate of 8.5 percent.

Nationwide, the number of Americans filing first-time applications for unemployment insurance rose last week to 640,000 as forecast, while the number of workers continuing to filing claims for unemployment benefits topped 6.1 million.

The Labor Department said Thursday that initial jobless claims increased by 27,000 in the week that ended April 18, from a revised 613,000 the prior week,