Maine unemployment dips in June on muted hospitality hiring

Photo / Renee Cordes Leisure and hospitality jobs increased in May and June, but somewhat less than usual in the lead-up to summer highs, according to the latest monthly barometer from the Maine Department of Labor.

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By Renee Cordes

Maine’s unemployment rate dipped to 3.3% in June amid a lower than usual bump in pre-summer hospitality hiring.

The rate compares to 3.4% in May and 3.0% in June 2024, according to the latest monthly barometer from the Maine Department of Labor.

Unemployment has hovered below 4% for 43 months, the second longest such period, and below the U.S. average for all but three months for more than 17 years.

Maine's jobless rate also continues to undershoot the state’s 5.4% long-term average since 1976, when Gerald Ford was president and the film “All the President’s Men” was released.

Unemployment averaged 4.2% for New England and 4.1% for the U.S. in June.

Dampened demand

Maine non-farm wage and salary jobs dipped 700 on a seasonally adjusted basis due to lower than usual gains among hospitality businesses. Jobs in those sectors increased in both May and June, but somewhat less than typical in the lead-up to summer highs, according to the Maine Department of Labor.

The agency said that while rain curtailed demand in May, it is less clear what factors may have been in play in June. Changes in other sectors were more modest, including health care and social assistance which reached a new high in the month.

Among the state’s three metropolitan areas, unemployment was below the statewide average in Portland/South Portland, close to average in Lewiston-Auburn and slightly above average in Bangor.

The Maine Department of Labor is scheduled to release preliminary July data on Tuesday, Aug. 19.