Report shows Tri-Cities had a net nonfarm jobs growth of 500 in 2018

January’s preliminary labor market reports show the Tri-Cities had a little more than 4,000 more nonfarm jobs than it did in January last year.

The same report shows the seven-county region’s labor market had a nonfarm job gain of 500 last year from the 2017 annual average.

January’s report puts the annual average Johnson City nonfarm total at 80,700, up 400 from 2017. It lists the preliminary Kingsport-Bristol annual average as 123,000, up 100 from 2017.

Another set of adjustments – for the January preliminary monthly numbers – are due week after next in the February jobs report.

Benchmarking the annual nonfarm job totals against pre-recession highs show the Johnson City labor market has recovered from the Great Recession while Kingsport-Bristol is still struggling.

Last year the Johnson City MSA had 800 more jobs than it did in 2008, the year before the Great Recession hit the local labor market.

Kingsport-Bristol had 1,700 fewer jobs than it did in 2008.

January’s unemployment rates were:

Tri-Cities – 4%.

Johnson City MSA – 4.1%.

Kingsport-Bristol 4%

Carter Co. – 4.6%

Greene Co. – 5.2%

Hawkins Co. – 4.2%

Johnson Co. – 4.1%

Sullivan Co. – 4%

Unicoi Co. – 5.8%

Bristol TN – 3%

Johnson City – 3.5%

Kingsport – 4.2%

Johnson City – 3.7%