PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s jobless rate dipped slightly in July to 4.6 percent from 4.7 percent one month earlier, a combination of a higher estimate of employment and slightly lower estimate of how many people are actively seeking work.
The state’s unemployment rate estimate was down from 5.7 percent one year earlier, when an estimated 7,500 more job seekers were unable to find work, according to the Maine Department of Labor.
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The dip in Maine came as the national unemployment rate remained flat at 5.3 percent in July, the same estimated rate as June. The national rate was down from 6.2 percent one year ago.
Across the six New England states, the unemployment rate was down to 4.7 percent from 4.8 percent in June.
Maine’s unemployment rate for July was higher than Vermont (3.6 percent), New Hampshire (3.7 percent) and lower than Massachusetts (4.7 percent), Connecticut (5.4 percent) and Rhode Island (5.8 percent).
The estimate of nonfarm payroll jobs in July was 609,700, up 4,400 from one year ago. The gain in payroll jobs is the result of an estimated rise in private sector jobs and a dip in government sector jobs, according to the Maine Department of Labor’s Center for Workforce Research and Information.