Vermont’s unemployment rate in October was 3.3 percent, staying flat for the third month in a row.
The national unemployment rate was 4.9 percent. Vermont was tied with Nebraska and Massachusetts for the sixth-lowest unemployment rate in October, behind New Hampshire (2.8 percent), South Dakota (2.8 percent), North Dakota (3 percent), Hawaii (3.2 percent), and Utah (3.2 percent).
Within Vermont, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate remained the lowest in the Burlington and White River Junction areas (2.2 percent), and the highest in the Derby area (3.7 percent).
From September to October, the state lost 2,100 non-farm jobs, according to the Public Assets Institute, a liberal think tank, making October “the third straight month that jobs decreased.”
Annie Noonan, the commissioner of the Department of Labor, said the state tends to see an increase in unemployment claims at the end of the year because people can no longer work outside doing construction and landscaping.
“The statistical variation in certain industries has been more difficult for Vermont to capture given the federal methodology,” Noonan said in a statement. “As such, the reported reduction of 2,100 jobs is more likely related to the difficulty in modeling Vermont’s seasonal hiring patterns, particularly related to education.”
“During the month of October, there were 6,600 online job ads in Vermont, which may reflect many more actual openings,” she said. “Employers are strongly encouraged to work with the Vermont Department of Labor offices in your area for staff-assisted recruitment, screening and applicant referrals.”
