Tennessee surpasses 1 million jobless claims since onset of pandemic

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – The number of unemployment claims filed in Tennessee since the onset of the pandemic last year has now surpassed one million.

The number of new unemployment claims filed in one week by Tennesseans surpassed 20,000 for the first time since mid-July. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce reported 21,954 new unemployment claims in the week ending in January 9, an increase of roughly 5,000 from the first report of the year.

The department has now reported 1,002,908 claims have been made in Tennessee since the onset of the pandemic in mid-March.

Total claims statewide are 58.945, an increase of 7,129 from last week. In Knox County, data shows 1,059 new claims were filed, with 2,859 claims continuing.

Click here for county-level unemployment claim data.