Unemployment rate up by 0.3% in county

Bedford County's jobless rate rose once again in December, bringing the unemployment numbers for the county to 12.6 percent.

Preliminary figures released by the state's department of labor and workforce development Thursday showed the jobless rate rose 0.3 percent last month.

The county reportedly had a work force of 21,750, with 19,010 working and 2,740 without employment.

Bedford County's unemployment rate a year ago was at 7.6 percent, the same as the state's jobless rate last year.

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for December show that the rate increased in 91 counties, decreased in one, and remained the same in three counties.

Lincoln County registered the state's lowest county unemployment rate at 7.1 percent, up 0.4 from its November rate. Lauderdale and neighboring Marshall counties had the state's highest unemployment rate at 18.9 percent.

Lauderdale was up 0.4 from the November rate, and Marshall County increased from 16.8 percent in November.

Knox County had the state's lowest major metropolitan rate of 8.1 percent, up 0.4 percentage point from the November rate. Hamilton County was at 8.9 percent, up 0.5 percentage point from the November rate.

Davidson County was 9.2 percent, up 0.4 from the previous month, and Shelby County was 10.3 percent, up 0.3 from the November rate.

Last week, Tennessee Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development James Neeley announced that the unemployment rate for December jumped to 10.9 percent, up 0.7 percentage points from November.

The national unemployment rate for December was 10.0 percent, equal to the November rate.

"This month we've seen a cumulative effect of statistical information which resulted in our high rate of unemployment," Neeley reported. "These figures are consistent with a weak holiday period that outweighed seasonal adjustments to the unemployment rate this time of year."

According to the state's business survey, 1,700 job gains occurred in retail trade; 1,200 in health care and social assistance; and 1,000 in professional, scientific and technical services.

Major employment decreases occurred in manufacturing, down by 4,300; mining and construction declined by 3,900; and administrative, support and waste services declined by 2,900 jobs.

Year-over-year increases occurred in health care and social assistance, up by 8,700; federal government increased 1,500; and local government educational services gained 1,400.

Manufacturing decreased by 27,600 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities lost 26,800; and mining and construction declined by 24,700.