PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s unemployment rate dipped slightly in November, down to an estimated 4.3 percent from 5.6 percent one year ago.
The latest estimate is down one-tenth of a percentage point from October. The year-over-year dip comes primarily from a decrease in the estimated number of Maine residents in the workforce, which means people who are either employed or actively seeking jobs.
The number of people in the labor force in October dropped about 13,611 from one year earlier, and the number of those with jobs decreased by about 4,034.
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With that drop in the labor force estimate, the ratio of people with jobs to the total population fell to its lowest level in four years, to 59.5 percent, according to the Maine Department of Labor.
In a news release about the latest unemployment estimate, the department said that ratio is likely to trend lower still in coming years as baby boomers begin to retire.
Maine’s jobless rate of 4.3 percent in October was higher than New Hampshire (3.3 percent) and Vermont (3.7 percent), and lower than Massachusetts (4.6 percent), Connecticut (5.1 percent) and Rhode Island (5.3 percent).
Maine’s rate also was lower than the national average in October, of 5 percent. That national rate is down from 5.7 percent one year ago.