DON FENLEY

TRI-CITIES, Tenn. – Expect some weaker job reports due to Hurricane Helene. October is the first example.

The Tri-Cities economy lost 300 jobs in October. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) there were 211,400 seasonally adjusted payroll jobs in the region’s two metro areas. The number of people with jobs in the BLS’s second labor report was down by 302 people from the previous month. The unemployment rate was 3.7%.

There were 2,800 more jobs in October than there were during October last year.

Here is how the monthly gain/loss jobs churn looked.

Job gains

• Retail trade, up 200
• Education and Health services, up 200
• Government, up 500

Job losses

• Construction, down 300
• Professional and business services, down 200
• Leisure and Hospitality, down 300
• Other services, down 400

WHO’S HIRING  

There are 5,557 available jobs in NE TN, up from 3,838 last month, according to the Jobs4TN website. Firms with the largest number of openings are:

• Food City – 322
• ETSU – 146
• Ballad Health – 119
• Tacala, LLC 118
• ColdStar International Corp. – 87
• Addus Home Care – 80
• Eastman Chemical Co. – 70
• BWX Technologies 70
• Anders Group 60 – 74
• Archway Physician Recruitment – 63

FASTEST JOBS GROWTH  

• Fast food and counter workers – $26,622 annual avg. wage. Estimated 1,200 annual openings.
• Retail salespersons – $28,751 annual avg. wage. Estimated 950 annual openings.
• Wait staff – $21,677 annual avg. wage. Estimated 810 annual openings.
• Customer service representatives – $35,881 annual avg. wage. Estimated 675 annual openings.
• Cashiers – $25,051 annual avg. wage. Estimated 650 annual openings.

OCCUPATIONS WITH HIGHEST ESTIMATED WAGES

• Nurse Anesthetists – $207,208
• Family Medicine Physicians – $195,808
• Podiatrist – $190,986
• Medical Scientists, except epidemiologists – $160,657
• Chief executives – $155,719
• Dentist, general – $155,604
• Sales engineers – $145,733
• Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers – $141,517
• Compensation and benefits managers – $141,043
• Architectural and engineering managers – $135,672

TOP INDUSTRIES BY JOB OPENINGS

• Fast food and counter workers – 1,218
• Retail salespersons – 957
• Waiters and waitresses – 831
• Customer service representatives 740
• Cashiers – 720
• Stockers and order fillers – 668
• Food preparation workers – 656
• Office clerks, general – 628
• Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers – 619
• Registered Nurses – 501

WAGES  

The average regional hourly wage is $27.95, unchanged from last month.

Tennessee’s average hourly wage is $32.08 an hour, unchanged from last month.

LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE  

The NE Tenn. labor force participation rate was unchanged at  52.8% in the latest report.

The U.S. rate is 62.6% and it’s 59.3% in Tennessee.

Johnson Co. has the highest participation rate in NE TN at 55.6%. Greene Co. has the lowest current rate at 49.2%.

UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS

 For the week ending Nov 9 there were 710 unemployment claims in NE TN. Ranked by top industries with claims:

• Unclassified establishments – 291
• Manufacturing – 161
• Retail trade – 64
• Administrative and Support and Waste Management – 58
• Accommodation and Food service – 34
• Construction – 27
• Health care and social assistance 25
• Professional, scientific and technical services – 17
• Wholesale trade – 18
• Other services – 11

Categories: LABOR MARKET