Maine unemployment rate increases by a tiny bump
Maine’s unemployment rate inched ever so slightly upward in July to 4.9%, after remaining flat at 4.8% during the previous five months.
The small increase occurred because workforce participation increased slightly more than employment did, the Maine Department of Labor said on Friday. The labor force participation rate increased 0.3% to 60.4%, the highest rate in 12 months.
The number of nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 1,200 to 617,500 in July. Most of the gains were in the public education and professional and business services sectors. Gains were partly offset by a decrease in leisure and hospitality jobs.
Maine still had 22,500 fewer jobs in July than in February 2020, before the pandemic began to affect the labor market, according to the Labor Department report. Jobs remained down the most in leisure and hospitality, education, and health care and social assistance.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 5.4% in July. Rates for other New England states were 2.9% in New Hampshire, 3% in Vermont, 4.9% in Massachusetts, 5.8% in Rhode Island and 7.3% in Connecticut.
Based on data that was not seasonally adjusted, unemployment rates for Maine counties were lowest in Knox, Lincoln, and Sagadahoc, at 4.3%, and highest in Somerset, which recorded a rate of 7.3% in July.
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