Shelby County, TN jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meShelby County economy
4.4%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.6% the month before
429,264
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
922,195
people in Shelby County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$62,337
median household income
Source: Census ACS
38%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Shelby County outlook: Cooling
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs down 4.7% from 2022 to 2025
- Population down 2.1% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 4.4%, down 0.2 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+4,833 jobs), real estate (+367 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: admin & staffing (−11,946 jobs), manufacturing (−3,380 jobs)
Local job-market news
Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Shelby County. Each link goes to the publisher.
- Layoffs surge 341% in majority-Black county amid rising national Black unemploymentBlack Information Network on MSN · Oct 30, 2026
- Unemployment for black Americans rises as Shelby County layoffs surgeFOX13 Memphis · Oct 29, 2026
- NLRB Memphis Subregional Office Closure Shifts Labor Cases to Other OfficesUSA Herald · Oct 28, 2026
- SpaceX's AI push: Elon Musk-led company offers 20% pay rise if employees relocate to Memphis or Southaven. Details hereBusiness Today on MSN · Oct 21, 2026
- Memphis craft brewer Crosstown Brewing closingWREG.com · Oct 15, 2026
- A Memphis native’s self-taught AI course led to helping job seekers navigate the job search with MatchMentumEBONY on MSN · Oct 12, 2026
Learn and get funded in Shelby County
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Shelby County layoffs
10
Layoff notices, last 12 months
1,771
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
10
employers
| Notice date | Employer | City or county | Workers | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WellpathTakes effect Sep 30, 2026 | Shelby County | 119 | — | State record | |
| Regional One Extended Care HospitalTakes effect Sep 1, 2026 | Shelby County | 103 | — | State record | |
| JBS USA Food CompanyTakes effect Aug 14, 2026 | Shelby County | 208 | — | State record | |
| CACI, Inc.Takes effect Aug 1, 2026 | Shelby County | 75 | — | State record | |
| WK Kellogg CoTakes effect Aug 7, 2026 | Shelby County | 117 | — | State record | |
| IKEA MemphisTakes effect May 9, 2026 | Shelby County | 114 | — | State record | |
| PMC Biogenix, Inc.Takes effect Apr 26, 2026 | Shelby County | 172 | — | State record | |
| GXOTakes effect Apr 3, 2026 | Shelby County | 185 | — | State record | |
| NIKE Retail Services, Inc.Takes effect Apr 3, 2026 | Shelby County | 583 | — | State record | |
| Archer Daniels Midland CompanyTakes effect Jan 30, 2026 | Shelby County | 95 | — | State record |
Employers hiring most in Shelby County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- SpaceX58 open roles
- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare30 open roles
- University of Memphis28 open roles
- FedEx22 open roles
- Autozone20 open roles
- University of Tennessee System18 open roles
- Turner Construction16 open roles
- Shelby County Government15 open roles
- Amazon11 open roles
- University of Tennessee11 open roles
Colleges in Shelby County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Memphis | Memphis | Public 4-year | 20,000+ |
| Christian Brothers University | Memphis | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Rhodes College | Memphis | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| The University of Tennessee Health Science Center | Memphis | Public 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Baptist Health Sciences University | Memphis | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Le Moyne-Owen College | Memphis | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Memphis Theological Seminary | Memphis | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Mid-South Christian College | Memphis | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Southern College of Optometry | Memphis | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Visible Music College | Memphis | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Conferences in Shelby County
Industry conferences and trade shows held in Shelby County. 1 with dates announced.
- AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference (WQTC)
Nov 15 to Nov 19, 2026 · Memphis, TN
Ticket $785 to $1,135. Full conference: member early $785, non-member early $1,030, member regular $990, non-member regular…
Open call for speakers
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Shelby County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in Tennessee? How to file for unemployment in Tennessee (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
- Greater Memphis Workforce Development Board
Fayette, Lauderdale, Shelby, Tipton
American Job Center of Tennessee - Memphis
Memphis · Comprehensive · 901-707-8426
8:00am. - 4:30 p.m. (Monday - Friday)
Cities in Shelby County
Other Tennessee counties
Laid off or looking for work in Shelby County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Tennessee’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Tennessee unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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