The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for June was 3.2 percent. This reflects no change from the revised May rate. (The national rate in June was 4.4 percent.) Vermont’s overall unemployment rate was tied for the seventh lowest in the country for the same time period.
Number of employed
The seasonally-adjusted Vermont data for June show the Vermont civilian labor force decreased by 1,600 from the prior month’s revised estimate. The number of employed decreased by 1,550 and the number of unemployed was unchanged. The change in labor force and the number of employed were statistically significant in the seasonally-adjusted series.
Labor market areas vary
The June not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates for Vermont’s 17 labor market areas ranged from 2.3 percent in White River Junction to 4.7 percent in Derby. For comparison, the June unadjusted unemployment rate for Vermont as a whole was 3.1 percent, which reflects an increase of 2/10 of one percentage point from the revised unadjusted May level and a decrease of 3/10 of one percentage point from a year ago.
As of May’s preliminary data, the Burlington-South Burlington metropolitan area was tied for the ninth lowest unemployment rate in the country for all metropolitan areas at 2.3 percent (not seasonally-adjusted).
Not-seasonally adjusted job changes by category
There was an increase of 300 jobs between the preliminary and the revised May estimates due to the inclusion of more data. When compared to the revised May numbers, the preliminary not-seasonally-adjusted jobs estimates for June show an increase of 3,400 jobs. This increase was primarily attributable to seasonal movements in leisure and hospitality. The broader economic trends can be detected by focusing on the over-the-year changes in this data series. As detailed in the preliminary not-seasonally-adjusted June data, total private industries have increased by 1,900 jobs (0.7 percent) and government (including public education) employment has increased by 100 jobs (0.2 percent) in the past year.
Seasonally adjusted job changes by category
The seasonally-adjusted data for June reports an increase of 900 jobs from the revised May data. As with the not-seasonally-adjusted data, this over-the-month change is from the revised May numbers which experienced an increase of 200 jobs from the preliminary estimates. The seasonally-adjusted over-the-month changes in June were mostly positive at the sub-sector level. Those with a notable percent increase include: mining and logging (+100 jobs or +12.5 percent), other services (+500 jobs or +4.7 percent), and administrative and waste services (+500 jobs or +4.4 percent). Sectors with a notable percent decrease include: durable goods manufacturing (-500 jobs or -2.8 percent), and private educational services (-300 jobs or -2.2 percent).
“Although Vermont continues to have a near historic low unemployment rate, at 3.2 percent this equates to nearly 11,000 Vermonters who are currently unemployed. If we combine this pool of unemployed with the number of Vermonters who report wanting work or wanting more hours, it totals over 20,000 Vermonters looking to improve their economic situation,” said Labor Commissioner Lindsay Kurrle. “I encourage employers who are looking for workers to contact their local Career Resource Center to help with recruiting and hiring needs. Likewise, individual Vermonters interested in improving their economic situation should contact their local office to learn about available jobs in their area, training opportunities and other employment related services. It is the priority of the Department to serve employers and employees with equal energy and our staff at our Career Resource Centers are equipped and ready to help.”
