Nonfarm employers gained 8,000 jobs in October, but Tennessee's unemployment rate remained stagnant at 8.4 percent.
The Tennessee Bureau of Labor and Workforce Development issued jobless reports for September and October on Thursday, and the numbers showed little improvement since August. Typically, the figures are released monthly, but October's government shutdown delayed the delivery of data state officials needed to calculate September's employment picture.
Of nonfarm employment sectors, the biggest job gains were seen in trades, transportation and utilities.
Tennessee's 8.4 percent unemployment rate tracks more than a full percentage point above the national average of 7.3 percent. Jobless rates for individual counties and metropolitan areas will be released on November 27.