Nashville-Area Jobless Rate Dips

From the Tennessean: "Nationwide, the city with the lowest unemployment is New Orleans.... The worst labor market can be found in the greater Detroit area.

'Nashville is somewhere in the middle,' said economist Murat Arik, associate director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University. While there were 75,410 unemployed in March in the 13 counties in this area, a diverse economy has helped keep the unemployment rate from going even higher, Arik said.

'Because we're the capital city, you have a strong government presence here,' he said. The health-care industry, along with the music business and hospitality, are all factors helping Nashville's labor market." (full story)