Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington is Vermont's largest hospital, and now it’s also Vermont’s largest private employer.
For years the IBM plant in Essex Junction held that title. But as the IBM plant has shrunk, Fletcher Allen has continued to grow.
Fletcher Allen spokesman Mike Noble said the hospital employs about 7,100 people.
IBM no longer publicly releases its employment figures, but a spokesman says the last time it reported its employment numbers it employed about 5,000 people. There have been multiple layoffs since then.
Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan says privacy rules prevent her from saying how many people IBM employs, but when asked if she felt Fletcher Allen was the state's largest employer she answered yes.
