Maine unemployment little changed in May on dampened hospitality hiring

Chart showing Maine unemployment rate from 2020-2025

Chart /Mainebiz using Maine Dept. of Labor data Maine's unemployment rate, little changed at 3.4% in May, has been below 4% for 42 months.

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By Renee Cordes

Maine’s unemployment rate was little changed at 3.4% in May as a rainy month dampened seasonal hiring in hospitality and industries that benefit from tourism.

The rate compares to 3.5% in April and 2.9% in May 2024, according to the latest monthly barometer from the Maine Department of Labor.

Unemployment has held at 3.4% or 3.5% every month since August, and below 4% for 42 months. That’s 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 remains below the state's 5.4% long-term average since January 1976, when Barry Manilow’s “I Write the Songs” was at the top of the pop charts.

The Maine jobless rate is well below the 4.2% rate for the New England region and U.S.

Rainy season

Maine non-farm wage and salary jobs decreased by 1,200 to 657,100 on a seasonally adjusted basis, not because of fewer jobs but rather due to lower-than-normal hiring in the retail and leisure and hospitality sectors and in federal government

The seasonal increase at Acadia National Park was smaller than usual, which had an impact on total government jobs, according to the Maine Department of Labor.

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 private sector work week averaged 33.3 hours, and pay averaged $32.28 per hour in May. Average hours were little changed, and hourly earnings were up 2.4% over a year ago.

Earnings were highest in professional and business services and lowest in leisure and hospitality, which also had the shortest work week. The work week was longest in construction.

The Maine Department of Labor is scheduled to release preliminary June data on Friday, July 18.