Maine hospitality hiring gains momentum in March

Photo / Renee Cordes Maine nonfarm wage and salary jobs rose in March, mainly due to hiring in the leisure and hospitality sector.

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By Renee Cordes

Maine nonfarm wage and salary jobs increased to 658,500 in March from 656,700 a year earlier as hiring in hospitality and leisure gathered pace.

Hospitality and leisure jobs, which account for 11% of the total, rose to 71,500 in March from 69,800 a year earlier, the Maine Department of Labor said in its latest monthly barometer released on Friday.

3.5% unemployment

Maine's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 3.5%, unchanged from the previous two months and little changed from 3.4% in the four months before that.

Unemployment has hovered below 4% for 40 months, the second longest such period.

The jobless rate averaged 4% for New England and 4.2% for the U.S. as a whole in March.

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

The work week was longest in construction and shortest in leisure and hospitality, the sector with the lowest earnings for the month. March earnings were highest in professional and leisure services.

The Maine Department of Labor is scheduled to release April data on Wednesday, May 21.