Tennessee staffing and recruitment for non-IT roles
Optihire Staffing recruits non-IT staff for Tennessee employers: distribution and air-cargo logistics, restaurants and hotels, plants, electrical and construction crews, and the office and customer service roles around them. One recruiter takes your brief, and you pay a fee only if you hire a candidate we introduced.
Tennessee has no state minimum wage law, so the federal $7.25 applies to covered employers. Workplace safety is run by the state's own plan, TOSHA, and the E-Verify rules for private employers are widening, so check where your company stands before your next hiring push.
Contingency Recruitment
You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.
Tennessee jobs by sector
Payroll jobs in the sectors we recruit for, in thousands (September 2026, preliminary, seasonally adjusted). Sales, office and customer service roles sit inside almost every sector, so they have no row of their own.
- The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority describes Frederick W. Smith International Airport (MEM) as one of the busiest cargo airports in the world and the home of the FedEx World Hub. Source: Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
| Sector | Jobs (thousands) |
|---|---|
| Trade, transportation and utilities | 683.5 |
| Leisure and hospitality | 376.4 |
| Manufacturing | 354.1 |
| Construction | 167.6 |
| All nonfarm jobs | 3,388.2 |
Where we recruit most in Tennessee
Trade, transportation and utilities is Tennessee's largest sector in our table, about one in five payroll jobs. We recruit warehouse workers and forklift operators for distribution and cargo operations, including the overnight shifts air freight runs on.
We screen line cooks and front desk agents for event and weekend availability and the volume they have handled. If you hire under-18s, Tennessee's Child Labor Act limits their hours and duties.
Manufacturing is close behind hospitality here. We screen production operators and machine operators on equipment, shift fit and safety habits, which matter under TOSHA as much as federal OSHA.
The Board for Licensing Contractors says electrical prime and subcontractors must be licensed as contractors to do electrical work. We confirm license details for electricians and screen construction laborers for safety training and transport.
Roles we fill in Tennessee
Each guide covers what the job involves, what to screen for and the interview questions worth asking.
Hiring rules to know in Tennessee
General information checked against official sources on 2026-11-11, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with the linked agency or your own counsel before you act. See our editorial standards.
Minimum wage
Tennessee has no state minimum wage law. Employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act pay at least $7.25 an hour.
E-Verify is widening
The Department of Labor's Labor Standards Unit says private employers with six or more employees must register with and use E-Verify, and that from January 1, 2027 the rule reaches employers reporting pay for at least one employee. Another department page still gives a 35-employee threshold, so confirm with the department.
Source: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development: Labor Standards Unit
New hire reporting
Report newly hired or rehired employees within 20 days of the hire date. Instructions are at tnnewhire.com.
Workers under 18
Almost all minors under 18 are covered by Tennessee's child labor protections, which restrict certain jobs, hazardous conditions and working hours.
Source: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development: Labor Standards Unit
Workplace safety
Tennessee runs an OSHA-approved State Plan, TOSHA, covering most private-sector workers.
Electrical contractor licensing
Electrical prime and subcontractors must be licensed as contractors by the Board for Licensing Contractors to perform electrical work.
Source: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors: classification outline
Hiring in Tennessee?
Tell us the role, the site location, the shift and the pay range. You pay a recruitment fee only when a successful candidate is hired, subject to agreed terms.
Hiring in more than one state? See every state hiring guide or read how we screen candidates.