Jobless rate up to 11.5 percent

The latest figures show that unemployment was nearly double last year's rate of 6.1 percent. It was also an increase from April's rate of 10.7 percent.

In Bedford County, a total of 23,100 people make up the labor force, with 20,430 working and 2,660 unemployed in May.

Preliminary figures showed that Tennessee's unemployment rate for May was 10.7 percent, up from the revised April rate of 9.9 percent. The May rate a year ago was 6.2 percent.

The last time Tennessee's unemployment rate was as high as the current rate was November 1983 and the last time the county hit near the current rate of 11.5 percent was in February of 1986, when the jobless rate was 11.9 percent.

But Bedford County has a long way to go in breaking its jobless record: In October 1982, the county's unemployment rate hit 22.6 percent, according to the archives of the state labor department.

The national unemployment rate for May 2009 was 9.4 percent, up from the April rate of 8.9 percent.

Tennessee Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development James Neeley said that Tennessee continues to outpace the national unemployment rate.

"Our goods-producing sector, which includes manufacturing and construction, only makes up about 16 percent of Tennessee's economy. Those industries, however, have seen more than half of the total job losses in the past year."

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for May show that the rate increased in 88 counties, decreased in 6 counties and remained the same in one county.

Lincoln County registered the state's lowest county unemployment rate at 6.5 percent, up from 6.3 in April. Perry County had the state's highest unemployment rate at 24.6 percent, up from 24.0 in April, followed by Lauderdale County at 19.2 percent, up from 18.2 percent in April.

These figures do not reflect the impact of job-creation efforts in Perry County that were announced in May.

Knox County had the state's lowest major metropolitan rate of 8.0 percent, up 0.6 points from the April rate. Davidson County was 8.6 percent, up 0.6 points. Hamilton County was 8.8 percent, up 0.6 points, and Shelby County was 9.6 percent, up 0.7 points.

According to the Business Survey, 6,300 job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality; 3,900 in administrative, support and waste services; and 2,300 in local government. Major employment decreases occurred in durable goods manufacturing, down by 5,700; state government educational services declined by 1,800 jobs; professional, scientific and technical services lost 1,400; and mining and construction decreased by 1,400.

Year-over-year increases occurred in health care and social assistance, up by 8,200; local government increased 1,800; and telecommunications gained 800; manufacturing was down 46,100; trade transportation and utilities lost 29,100; and mining and construction decreased by 27,400.