The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for April 2012 was 4.6 percent, a decrease of two-tenths of a percent from the revised March rate. This is the eighth straight month reporting a decline in the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate. However, total dropped by 500 from March. It also marked the second straight month reporting declines to the total labor force. The numbers were dramatic versus a year ago. Since April 2011, the unemployment rate is down 1.1 percent, 3,600 more people are employed and 3,900 fewer people are jobless, though the labor force is also down. Some of these numbers are likely skewed, for better or worse, by the early end to the ski season.
The comparable national unemployment rate for April 2012 was 8.1 percent; a decline of one-tenth of a percent from the previous month.
â Construction and Professional & Business Services showed strong growth in April while Leisure & Hospitality jobs ended early this year due to the warm weather which weighed down the April numbers,’said Department of Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan.
â A problem facing the state - and more so the nation - is the large proportion of the long-term unemployed. This population has grown during the recession to be 2 to 3 times greater than pre-recessionary levels. To assist long-term unemployed Vermonters, the Department offers training and job placement counseling and assistance to improve their job opportunities. For employers who are hiring, they may be eligible for the Long-term Unemployed Hiring Incentive and can contact the Vermont Department of Labor for more information,’added Commissioner Noonan.
State of Vermont Overview
Vermont Labor Force Statistics (Seasonally Adjusted)
Changes From
April
2012
March
2012
April
2011
March
2012
April
2011
Total Labor Force
358,800
359,900
359,100
-1,100
-300
Employment
342,300
342,800
338,700
-500
3,600
Unemployment
16,500
17,100
20,400
-600
-3,900
Rate (%)
4.6
4.8
5.7
-0.2
-1.1
Vermontâ s labor force, employment and unemployment statistics are produced from a combination of a Statewide survey of households and statistical modeling. The data are produced by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program (LAUS) a cooperative program with the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Vermont Department of Labor.
The Vermont seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percent in April to 4.6 percent. The comparable rate over the same time period for the United States experienced a decline of one-tenth of a percent to the level of 8.1 percent. The seasonally adjusted Vermont data show the total Vermont labor force decreased by 1,100. Total employment decreased by 500 while total unemployment decreased by 600.
April unemployment rates for Vermontâ s 17 labor market areas ranged from 3.1 percent in Hartford to 8.1 percent in Newport (note: local labor market area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted). For comparison, the April unadjusted unemployment rate for Vermont was 5.0 percent which reflects a decrease of three-tenths of a percent from the March level and a decline of 1.1 percent from a year ago.
Analysis of Job Changes by Industry
The preliminary â not-seasonally-adjusted’jobs estimates for April show a decrease of 3,600 jobs when compared to the revised March numbers. This reported over-the-month change does not include the 150 job decrease between the preliminary and the revised March estimates due to the inclusion of more data. The broader economic trends can be detected by focusing on the changes between April 2012 and April 2011. As detailed in the preliminary â not seasonally adjusted’April data, Total Private Industries have increased by 1.2 percent (2,900 jobs) while Government has shed employment (-1,150 jobs or -2.0 percent) within the last year.
The seasonally adjusted data for April reports a decrease of 1,500 jobs from the revised March data. As with the â not-seasonally-adjusted’data, this over-the-month change is from the revised March numbers which experienced a downward revision from the preliminary estimates by 100 jobs. A review of the seasonally adjusted April numbers reflects employment declines across ownership types; Private Industries and Total Government both reported job losses (700 and 800 jobs, respectively). Leisure & Hospitality had the largest movement at the sector level with reported job declines of 1,400 jobs (change of -4.3%). While large swings in sector employment are typical for this time of year, the reported job losses in Leisure & Hospitality seemed to be amplified by the abrupt ending to winter. Conversely, Construction was able to take advantage of the earlier start to spring and added employment of 400 (or 2.8%). Professional & Business Services also reported positive over-the-month employment changes (+700 jobs).