Vermont’s unemployment rate fell two-tenths of 1 percent in April to 3.6 percent, according to data released by the state Department of Labor.
Data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that Vermont’s April unemployment rate was tied with South Dakota as the fourth-lowest rate in the nation. Utah, North Dakota and Nebraska have lower unemployment rates. The national average in April was 5.4 percent.
“April represents the seventh consecutive month without an increase to the unemployment rate,” Vermont labor officials said in a news release.
Unlike some recent drops in Vermont’s unemployment rate, April’s decreased rate was due entirely to an increase in employment and not a contraction in the state’s labor force. The labor force has been slowly shrinking in recent years, a fact labor officials attribute to an aging workforce and some Vermonters retiring after having deferred retirement due to the bad economy.
From March to April, though, Vermont’s labor force grew from 348,250 to 348,300. The new number is still 500 workers fewer than the April 2014 labor force.
While the labor force grew by 50, Vermont added 600 jobs from March to April, according to seasonally adjusted data.
