Unemployment remained near record lows in Tennessee during September, according to new data released this week.
“The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September came in at 3.4% and is just 0.2 of a percentage point away from Tennessee’s all-time low rate of 3.2%,” according to a press release from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).
“Tennessee employers created 13,700 new nonfarm jobs between August and September. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector had the largest number of new jobs, followed by the leisure and hospitality sector, and then the education and health services sector,” according to the release. “In a year-to-year comparison, the number of nonfarm jobs across the state increased by 140,200. The leisure and hospitality sector created the most jobs while the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, and the education and health services sector came next on the list.”
A large swath of companies has recently announced investments in the Volunteer State.
Friday, Hardcoat Technologies announced that it would invest $6.6 million in Knox County, where the plastic molding company will add 85 new jobs.
“Our state’s strong business climate and highly skilled workforce continue to set Tennessee’s businesses up for success,” said Gov. Bill Lee (R). “I thank Hardcoat Technologies for its decision to expand in Knoxville and create 85 new jobs for Tennesseans.”
“Hardcoat Technologies has seen amazing growth in our business since our start in 2014. We look forward to the additional opportunities this building expansion will bring. We appreciate the continued support of our state and local partners,” Hardcoat Technologies President Nicholas Steffens said.
Volkswagen, which just began producing electric vehicles in Chattanooga, is another company that has recently invested in Tennessee.
“We’re just starting to write a new chapter for Volkswagen in America, and it is very much an American story,” said Thomas Schäfer, global chairman of Volkswagen in July. “When we promised to bring Volkswagen EVs to the millions, it always included American workers building those EVs right there in Chattanooga. We couldn’t be prouder to see that vision realized today with our ID.4 electric flagship rolling off the lines. This is another milestone in Volkswagen’s ambitious electrification strategy for the U.S. market and globally.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Construction Worker” by Mikael Blomkvist.
