Tennessee unemployment claims continue to rise during first half of January

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Tennessee has reported over 40,000 new unemployment claims in the first two weeks of January, surpassing the number reported for the entire month of November.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce said 18,237 new jobless claims were made in the week ending in January 16. For the week prior, the department reported 21,954.

Since the start of the pandemic in mid-March, the department has now reported 1,002,908 claims made in Tennessee.

Total continued claims statewide are 49,270, an decrease of 9,675 from last week. In Knox County, data shows 909 new claims were filed, with 2,600 claims continuing.

Tennessee has distributed over $66 million in unemployment payments since the beginning of the pandemic, with over $59 million coming from federal funding.

Click here for county-level unemployment claim data.