PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s January job numbers delivered a mixed message as the percentage of job seekers unable to find work dropped along with the total number of nonfarm payroll jobs.
The unemployment rate dropped to 5.2 percent from 5.5 percent as the state and federal labor departments estimated the state’s total workforce dropped as the number of people with jobs increased.
Those figures are based on surveys and adjusted for seasonal changes in the economy, leading to some volatility from month-to-month.
That was evident in the estimate of nonfarm payroll jobs, which make up the bulk of jobs in the state. The latest figures showed a drop in those payroll jobs, as the estimate of all employment — including people who work on farms or are self-employed — rose.
The Maine Department of Labor said in a news release the decline in January is expected to be offset by gains in February and subsequent months. Preliminary estimates are later adjusted to reflect more modest changes from month to month, but the shift in the direction of estimates is noteworthy.
It is the first time since June 2011 that nonfarm payroll job estimates declined.
Initial unemployment insurance claims were lower in January that one year ago, as were continuing claims, though both categories of claim totals tend to peak for the year in January.
The state will release unemployment estimates and figures for February next week.