Unemployment in Maine falls to lowest mark in 2 years

The unemployment rate in Maine has fallen to its lowest point in two years.

The Maine Department of Labor said Friday that the unemployment rate fell to 3.6 percent in March. It is the lowest rate since March 2020 when the rate fell to 2.7 percent before the coronavirus pandemic.

The following month in April 2020, the unemployment rate skyrocketed to 9.1 percent before making a slow decline.

The rate in February was 4.0 percent. The average rate in the last three months was 3.9 percent, the department said.

The labor department said the number of nonfarm jobs increased by 3,600 in March. Total nonfarm wage and salary jobs also increased by 3,600 to 638,700 in total. The largest job gains were in professional and business services, retail trade, and healthcare and social assistance, the department said.

The unemployment rate for New England as a whole was 4.0 percent for December. It was 3.6 percent nationwide. Both were down from 4.3 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively.