Maine’s Lowest Unemployment Rate in 15 Years Due To Smaller Workforce

The December unemployment figures for Maine are in and state officials are pleased that it's gone down to 4 percent. That's the lowest point since 2001. But those figures come as a result of people leaving the labor pool.

November's unemployment rate was 5.5 percent, so a 1.5 percent drop is good news. Analysis of the figures shows, however, 5,900 fewer people looking for work and 11,180 fewer people classified as either unemployed or not being able to find work.

Maine's 2.5 percent overall full year drop in unemployment since December of 2014 includes 17,000 fewer people classified as being in the labor force. That's below the national average for the first time in 17 years.

The state's seasonably adjusted rate went down to 3.8 percent.

The Maine Department of Labor says total payroll jobs increased over the past year, with 8,600 new positions. But, 2,580 more people than that left the labor force.

Maine had the third lowest December unemployment rate in New England. New Hampshire saw a rate of 3.1 percent, Vermont 3.6 percent, Massachusetts 4.7 percent, Rhode Island 5.1 percent, and Connecticut 5.2 percent.

Somerset County saw the highest seasonably unadjusted unemployment rate at 6.0 percent, followed by Washington County at 5.9 percent, Hancock County at 5.7 percent and Aroostook County at 5.4 percent. The highest four counties, however, dropped an average of 2 percent over the past 12 months.

The lowest rate was found in Sagadahoc County, which marked a remarkably low 2.8 percent through the Holiday season.

Data is derived from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. LAUS is a Federal-State cooperative program that develops monthly estimates of the labor force, employment, unemployment, and unemployment rates for the state, counties, labor market areas, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, and cities and towns