PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s jobless rate dipped to 3.4 percent in March, a decrease from 4.6 percent one year ago and the lowest level since February 2001.
The dip came as the national rate rose slightly, to 5 percent from 4.9 percent. One year ago, the national rate was higher, at 5.5 percent.
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Over the year, the drop in Maine’s jobless rate mostly reflects an estimated drop in the state’s labor force, though the estimate of people employed has risen since January while the labor force estimate has held steady.
That estimate aims to include all workers, based on information from household surveys. A larger survey of employers has payroll employment up by about 6,000 jobs, or about 1 percent, compared with one year ago.
Maine’s estimated jobless rate of 3.4 percent in March was higher than New Hampshire (2.6 percent) and Vermont (3.3 percent) and lower than Massachusetts (4.4 percent), Rhode Island (5.4 percent) and Connecticut (5.7 percent).