The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) announced May 20 that the seasonally-adjusted Vermont unemployment rate for April was 3.2 percent. This represents a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised March rate (3.3 percent). The national rate in April was 5.0 percent.
As of the prior month’s initial data, the Burlington-South Burlington Metropolitan, at 2.6 percent, had the third lowest unemployment rate in the country for all metropolitan areas. Overall, Vermont’s unemployment rate was seventh lowest in the country for the same time period.
April is the ninth consecutive month reporting a decline in the number of unemployed persons in Vermont (seasonally-adjusted).
“Vermont has seen a continued decrease in the number of unemployed persons; nearly a 1,600 person drop in the past 12 months—not associated with claimants exhausting benefits or becoming ‘discouraged workers’ (i.e., stopping work search activities),” said VDOL Commissioner Annie Noonan. “At the current time, many national economists are predicting growth for at least the next 12 months. Even so, we continue to see some layoff activity around the state and in various occupational sectors, which may be expected seasonal or unexpected downsizings.”
Gov. Peter Shumlin issued the following statement after learning that Vermont’s unemployment rate fell to 3.2 percent, one of the lowest rates in America: “This is continued good news for Vermont. Since 2011, Vermont employers have added 18,000 jobs.
That growth has been aided by our efforts to spur economic development in various industries, including the renewable energy sector,” he said.
“Just this week we learned that Vermont has the highest per capita employment rate when it comes to clean energy jobs. Add to that the fact that for each year since 2011, Vermonters’ incomes have gone up at or faster than the national average—something that has never happened before.
“We’ve done all that while making smart policy choices that protect workers, such as ensuring paid sick days and raising the minimum wage. For anyone who says growing jobs and doing what is right for workers are incompatible goals, Vermont’s continued economic success proves them wrong,” said Shumlin.
