The Newport Plain Talk

NASHVILLE-Cocke County's unemployment rate rose 2.3 percent in May, according to figures from the Tennessee Deparmtent of Labor and Workforce Development.

Out of a workforce of 16,730 people, 1,260 were with jobs during May, giving the county a jobless rate of 7.5 percent, up from 5.2 percent in April.

In the region, Sevier County had the lower unemployment figure for May at 5.6 percent, up 1.6 percent from the previous month. Jefferson County had a mark of 6.3 percent while Hamblen County was at 6.4 percent. Greene County had the highest mark of surrounding counties at 8.3 percent, up 1.8 percent from April.

Tennessee's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2008 was released last week at 6.4 percent, 1.0 percentage point higher than the April revised rate of 5.4 percent. The United States unemployment rate for the month of May was 5.5 percent.

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for May 2008, released today, show that 94 counties increased. Trousdale County had the only decrease in unemployment, down 0.1 percentage point from 7.7 percent to 7.6 percent.

Williamson County registered the state's lowest county unemployment rate at 4.2 percent, up 0.8 from the April rate of 3.4 percent. Perry County had the state's highest at 13.1 percent, up 0.8 from the April rate of 12.3 percent, followed by Lauderdale County at 10.8 percent, up from 9.2 percent in April.

Knox County had the state's lowest major metropolitan rate at 4.6 percent, up 0.8 from the April rate of 3.8 percent. Davidson County was 5.0 percent, up from 4.1 in April. Hamilton County was at 5.0 percent, up 0.7 from the April rate of 4.3 percent, and Shelby County was 6.3 percent, up from the April rate of 5.5.

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