AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s unemployment rate in July was 7.6 percent, slightly higher than June, but unchanged from the same month last year, according to preliminary estimates released today by the Maine Department of Labor.
Maine continues to have lower unemployment rates, higher rates of labor force participation and a higher share of population that is employed than the nation, according to the labor department. Nationally, the unemployment rate in July was 8.3 percent, down from 9.1 percent in the same month last year.
Compared to its New England neighbors, Maine had a higher unemployment rate than Vermont’s 5 percent and Massachusetts’ 6.1 percent. But it beat Rhode Island and Connecticut, which had unemployment rates of 10.8 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively.
The estimated number of Maine’s nonfarm payroll jobs — a term used by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to represent all workers who receive some sort of wage, excluding government employees, household employees, many nonprofit employees and farm employees — in July was 595,500, up 1,800 from the revised June estimate, according to data from the Maine Center for Workforce Research and Information. Four years ago, in July 2008, Maine’s total number of nonfarm payroll jobs was 619,200, only 3.8 percent higher than last month’s total, according to the center’s figures.
The small gain in jobs was driven by the retail trade, leisure and hospitality, health care, and professional and business services sectors, according to the CWRI. However, those gains were partly offset by declines in state and local government jobs.
Among Maine’s metropolitan areas, the unemployment rate was below the statewide average in Portland-South Portland-Biddeford (6.1 percent) and higher than the statewide average in Bangor (8.2 percent) and Lewiston-Auburn (7.9 percent).
Talk about packaging. I guess you can make statistics say anything you want if you try hard enough. The real fact is that Maine is one of only 5 States in the country that have LOST JOBS in the past 12 months (US Dept of Labor)). The other fact that this article leaves out is that Maine’s unemployment is on the rise and has been since December of 2011. There are less jobs available in Maine today then there were on the day Paul Richard LePage took office as Governor.
Do your statistics figure in the guy who worked for me in Dec. 2011 who got done because his hands were cold? Got his unemployment and still sitting on his butt August 2012. That is a fact. I get a report every month.
Well for every person like him, there is another person like me that was let go in mid July and still waiting for my claim to be processed.
Keep cool, no pun intended, you’ll eventually get it.
Thank you for that bit of hope, and the pun would be okay by me too. This too shall pass, I know. I would rather be working but some income is better than none. If I did not have roommates who were carrying me, I would be among the homeless right now. I am grateful for their support, and know that things could be much worse if not for them.
What? are you one of those guys who makes the help bring their own coal to work for heat?
I thought that went out with slavery!
The TeaPartiers are trying their best to bring it back.
First off they are not my statistics. They both come from the US Dept of Labor Division of Labor Statistics. If you are that interested in if your former employee is part of those numbers I suggest you contact the Maine Department of Labor and not ask me.
its only for people are leaving in masses and welfare cases are moving in hello and bringing misery with them i may leave also when my lease is up
Obama said unemployment would be below 6% by now if we spent all those stimulus dollars. Where are we today 8.3% and trillions in the hole. Vote the failure out of office and save what’s left of the economy!
There are only two population demographics in Maine. Those that live in mansions on the shoreline that resemble 1/20th scale models of Luxinburg and the rest are on pure welfare. Labor statistics don’t apply here because if your not working your not also unworking.
This is not the true rate if you count the people that have stop looking an the people that work part time an the people on welfare the rate would be much higher
And the people who wear purple socks on Thursday, and the…
How do you stop looking for work? Then you must be on welfare or starve. We waste money paying to have these statistics every month when you already know who’s not working and why. Give us your unemployment rate as of July please.
SAll the national new channels say that there are lots of people that have stopped looking for work because no one will hire them an im not taking about druges either people in the late 50s an 60
This is hardly good news for someone who is out of work. Trust me, I know what I am talking about. And there has been a delay in processing my claim because my former employer initially used the wrong social security number, which made it appear that I did not work at all last year. I am glad that Maine is not doing as poorly as some other New England states though.
Dirigo. We lead.
LePew is working on getting our motto changed to “Decipio.” I deceive.
Southern Maine: the way life should be!
Still waiting for the numbers on Maine’s UNDER employment rate. This would give us all a much more accurate idea on how the workers are fairing in our great state. I would also like to know the percentage of Mainers who collect welfare benefits and go to work every day for “public assistance” wages payed by big corporate America.