Maine unemployment rate at lowest since 2008
Maine's unemployment rate in February was 5%, the lowest it’s been since April 2008. The rate was down from 5.2% the previous month and nearly 1% less than it was a year ago.
The Maine Department of Labor reported on Friday that an estimated 34,400 people were unemployed last month, 7,300 fewer than a year ago.
The national unemployment rate in February was 5.5%, down from 5.7% the previous month, and a decrease from 6.7% one year ago.
Maine's unemployment rate remained under the average of 5.3% for the New England states. The state was lower than Rhode Island (6.3%) and Connecticut (6.4%), and higher than New Hampshire (3.9%), Vermont (3.9%) and Massachusetts (4.9%).
Maine's employment-to-population percentage was 60.1% in February, the 89th consecutive month the state has been above the national average of 59.3%.
The state's preliminary estimate for nonfarm payroll jobs in February was 603,800, an increase of 300 from one year ago. Private sector jobs increased by 800, with jobs in the professional and business services sector making the largest gains. Government jobs, on the other hand, decreased by 500 over the same period.
Unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted.
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Maine jobs report gives mixed review for January
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