Tag Archives: unemployment

On jobs, compare your community with the neighbors

The Maine Department of Labor has published a new look at annual unemployment data, letting users zero in on a specific area of the state and its neighboring communities. Follow the steps in the interactive map below to see annual unemployment rates for specific communities and the surrounding areas.  For reference, the statewide average unemployment rate for 2015 was […]

Maine unemployment is down from 2007. Underemployment is not

Explaining what variations in the unemployment rate mean is tough. The standard measure doesn’t really capture the elements of the first question you’d likely ask a friend: “How’s work?” Alternative measures of the jobless rate by state are available and get a little closer at answering the question of “how’s work?” for entire states, but there’s still plenty of details […]

Car-related sales help drive Maine’s recovery

It appears we love our vehicles, or that an improving economy has made Mainers feel a little better about investing in their rides. For all but seven months from 2010 to 2015, automobile-related sales have grown after taking a dive with every other type of spending during the recession. That category of spending has consistently growth faster through Maine’s […]

Just how accurate are Maine’s monthly unemployment estimates?

So, everyone, let’s all talk about the elephant in the room: The unemployment estimates out Friday. Missed them? Well, if you were following along through the morning, you may have been confused about just when was the last time that preliminary estimates of unemployment rose in Maine. That may have been my fault. (It was a year ago, but […]