Vermont Department of Labor is reporting the seasonally adjusted employment rate for December 2007 at 4 percent, up one tenth of a point from last month and two tenths of a point from last year. There was no difference from November 2007 values. For the December 2007 month the US as a whole had an unemployment rate of 5 percent, up three tenths of a point from November.
Seasonally adjusted job levels grew by 400 or 0.1% from November to December, and by 800 or 0.3% since December of 2006. Heath Care and Social Assistance, and Leisure and Hospitality provide 200 extra jobs each in December, while the construction and local government lose 200 each. The VDL is reporting that despite the surge in unemployment rates, Vermonts unemployment levels are considerably low when compared to national averages.
Before seasonal adjustment, Total non-farm jobs grew by 5,050 or 1.6% which is normal for the holiday season. Annual unadjusted job growth came in at 950, which was a .3 percent increase. The largest increases occurred in the Retail and Leisure and Hospitality markets, which is expected and typical for the season. Overall annual job leaps occurred in Wholesale Trade (+200/1.9%), professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+250/1.9%), Hospitals (+300/2.7%), and Leisure and Hospitality (+250/.7%).
Losses were suffered in Manufacturing (-350/-1.0%) and State Government Education (-200/-2.1%)
The states unemployment rates spiked last year in the months of September and October. Across Vermont this past December the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates were highest in Newport (6.4%) Swanton-Enosburg (5.4%) and Morristown-Stowe (4.9%) The lowest rates were in Hartford (2.1%) and Woodstock (2.3%)