Tennessee unemployment continued to climb through the month of June, but considerably slower than in previous months.
The jobless rate now sits at 10.8%, up a tenth from May. The national unemployment also rose one-tenth to 9.5%.
Labor Commissioner James Neeley says the flattening is encouraging.
“I really believe that this is an indication that we’re beginning to bottom out as far as the high peaks of unemployment.”
Still, there haven’t been so many Tennesseans out of work since November 1983. Just last year, the jobless rate was 6.4%.
Job losses were concentrated in educational services and manufacturing.
Also Thursday, Governor Phil Bredesen said federal stimulus money has created new jobs for more than 300 residents of Perry County, which had the state’s highest unemployment rate in May at 24.6 percent.
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