Maine’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.4% in July, up from 5.3% in June and from 4.8% in July 2007.
The number of seasonally adjusted nonfarm wage and salary jobs edged down by 200 between June and July, according to a press release from the Maine Department of Labor. A job gain in professional and business services was offset by slight losses in leisure and hospitality services, construction, retail trade and information.
The seasonally adjusted national rate for July was 5.7%, up from 5.5% for June and 4.7% for July 2007. “Labor market trends in Maine continue to mirror national trends,” State Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said in the release. “A weak job market has resulted in slowly rising unemployment.”
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