Labor Market Pulse · Human Resources · October 2026
Human Resources Labor Market Report: Morristown, TN MSA — October 2026
Morristown's labor pool shrinks as non-compete reform reshapes retention stakes.
Hamblen County unemployment sits at 3.7% while Tennessee's labor force has contracted by 51,100 workers since last year, and a new ban on non-competes under $70,000 lands squarely on the region's manufacturing-heavy workforce.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Hamblen County unemployment: 3.7% — vs 4.2% national, July 2026
- TN labor force change: -51,100 — Year-over-year decline since Sept. 2025
- Manufacturing share of Hamblen jobs: 24%+ — Across ~100 local manufacturers
- TN WARN notices, 2026 YTD: 49 notices / 6,603 workers — vs 3,860 notices nationally
Key takeaways
HR Business Partner pay cooled sharply even as national demand firmed.
Metro HRBP advertised pay fell to a median of $96,073 while the national median climbed to $83,900, a significant reversal of the typical premium this market has carried. Local employers may be consolidating HRBP scope instead of competing aggressively for this talent, worth watching before assuming parity with national postings.
Manufacturing talent scarcity is becoming a structural retention issue.
Statewide manufacturing employment fell 1.7% over the year while the regional labor force shrank by 51,100 workers, tightening the pool for Hamblen County's largest employer sector. Compensation strategy here should weight internal equity and advancement paths over assuming a ready external pipeline.
Non-compete reform changes the calculus for sub-$70K production roles.
Tennessee's ban on non-competes for workers earning under $70,000 took effect July 1 and applies directly to the hourly manufacturing workforce that represents roughly a quarter of Hamblen County employment. Expect increased lateral movement between the area's dozens of manufacturers and reconsider retention levers beyond contractual restriction.
Recruiter and HR Coordinator pay moved up together, a hiring-capacity signal.
Both roles posted significant local wage increases — Recruiter to $62,000 and HR Coordinator to $45,760 — even as national job creation slowed to 182,000 in October. Local employers appear to be investing in HR operational capacity despite a broader low-hire, low-fire national pattern.
Median advertised pay by role — Morristown, TN MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation Analyst * | $69,033 | $91,636 | $107,349 | Significant increase | $100,798 |
| HR Business Partner | $56,624 | $96,073 | $106,909 | Significant decline | $83,900 |
| Benefits Manager * | $82,190 | $110,596 | $115,015 | Significant increase | $118,618 |
| HRIS Analyst * | $76,823 | $90,420 | $99,148 | Significant increase | $95,000 |
| HR Coordinator | $37,124 | $45,760 | $45,760 | Significant increase | $50,460 |
| Recruiter | $44,990 | $62,000 | $64,424 | Significant increase | $67,234 |
| Payroll Specialist * | $46,414 | $55,723 | $60,679 | Moderate increase | $61,103 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Hamblen County's 3.7% unemployment rate and a manufacturing base that accounts for more than 24% of the Hamblen workforce continue to define a tight, production-driven labor market even as Tennessee's statewide labor force has contracted by 51,100 workers since last September. Manufacturing employment slipped 1.7% statewide over the past year, yet local anchors — MAHLE, Howmet Aerospace, JTEKT, Koch Foods — appear to be holding headcount, which is consistent with a market where replacement hiring is driving most activity.
What it means
Shrinking regional labor supply combined with stable-to-declining manufacturing employment signals that Morristown employers are competing for a smaller pool of production and skilled-trade workers, making retention economics — shift differentials, tenure-based pay, internal mobility — more cost-effective than external recruitment in most cases. Tennessee's new non-compete ban for workers earning under $70,000, effective July 1, directly touches the hourly and front-line manufacturing workforce that dominates this metro, raising near-term risk of cross-shop poaching among the area's dozens of manufacturers. Consider reviewing handbook and offer-letter language for non-compete and restrictive covenant clauses affecting production and technical staff earning below the state threshold.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Watch whether Hamblen County's 3.7% unemployment rate moves alongside the statewide labor force contraction; a further tightening would sharpen competition for the production and skilled-trade roles that anchor local payrolls.
Compliance deadline: Audit offer letters and handbooks for non-compete language affecting employees under $70,000 annually, since Tennessee's July 2026 reform is now in its first full operating quarter and enforcement exposure grows with time.
Emerging pressure point: TNTalent's $5 million workforce development funding targets advanced manufacturing and AI infrastructure; local manufacturers should track eligibility and training partnerships that could offset the regional labor supply squeeze.
Worth watching: National WARN filings have reached 3,860 notices affecting over 340,000 workers this year; monitor whether any Tennessee-based reductions (49 notices, 6,603 workers statewide through October) touch Morristown-area suppliers tied to automotive or aerospace manufacturing.
Sources
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — Hamblen County unemployment rate of 3.7% in July 2026
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — Manufacturing represents over 24% of Hamblen County workforce
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Tennessee labor force declined 51,100 since September 2025
- Tennessee General Assembly — Non-compete ban for workers under $70,000 effective July 1, 2026
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — 49 WARN notices affecting 6,603 workers in Tennessee through October 20
- LayoffAlert — National WARN notices total 3,860 affecting 340,316 workers through Oct 26
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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