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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2012

Contact: Glenn Mills (207) 621-5192

April Unemployment Rate 7.2 Percent

State Labor Commissioner Robert Winglass released April workforce estimates for Maine.

Seasonally-Adjusted Statewide Data

Household Survey

The preliminary seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for Maine was 7.2 percent in April, unchanged from March and down from 7.7 percent one year ago. The number of unemployed totaled 51,200, down 3,000 from a year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate was 8.1 percent, little changed from 8.2 percent in March and down from and 9.0 percent one year ago.

Chart showing seasonally adjusted Maine and United States Unemployment Rates (Excel)

Employment to population ratios have been relatively unchanged in Maine and the U.S. in 2012. The primary reason Maine’s unemployment rate is up 0.2 points since January is 1,100 people entered the labor force; the primary reason the U.S. unemployment rate is down 0.2 points is 30,000 people left the labor force. (Only those actively seeking work are counted as unemployed — those not employed and not looking for work are not in the labor force.) Maine’s employment to population ratio remains well above the national average.

Chart showing seasonally adjusted employment to population ratios (Excel)

The unemployment rate for New England was 6.9 percent; rates in other states were 5.0 percent in New Hampshire, 4.6 percent in Vermont, 6.3 percent in Massachusetts, 11.2 percent in Rhode Island, and 7.7 percent in Connecticut.

Payroll Survey of Businesses

Estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate there were 593,400 nonfarm payroll jobs in April, down 1,200 from the revised March estimate. Nearly all of the decline was in the leisure & hospitality sector related to the unusually early end to the ski and snowmobile season.

The March and April declines were expected following unusually high estimates the first two months of the year, bringing them closer to the recent trend. U.S. nonfarm payroll jobs were up 115,000 in April.

As the nearby chart indicates, monthly nonfarm payroll jobs estimates continue to be more volatile than the lagging, complete count of wage and salary jobs collected through quarterly unemployment insurance tax filings of employers. Data through June 2011 has been benchmarked to the complete count; estimates after June 2011 are likely to be much smoother after they are benchmark revised in March 2013.

Chart showing Maine nonfarm payroll jobs, seasonally adjusted (Excel)

Not Seasonally-Adjusted Substate Data

The not seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in April, down from 7.9 percent a year ago. Not seasonally-adjusted rates ranged from 5.7 percent in Cumberland County to 11.2 percent in Washington County. Rates tended to be lower than the statewide average in southern and central counties and higher than average among rim counties.

Chart showing not seasonally adjusted Maine unemployment rates by county (Excel)

Unemployment rates were below the statewide average in all three metro areas: Portland-South Portland-Biddeford (5.8 percent), Bangor (7.1 percent), and Lewiston-Auburn (7.3 percent).

Detailed labor force and unemployment data for the state, counties, and 31 labor market areas, as well as nonfarm jobs data for the state and the three metropolitan areas is available at www.maine.gov/labor/cwri/data.html.

May data is scheduled for release June 15.