Employment statistics released Monday by the Vermont Department of Labor show an upswing in employment in the month of January as the state鈥檚 unemployment continued to fall.
鈥淭he January numbers start the year on a positive note,鈥� said Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan in a statement.
Seasonally adjusted data shows that the civilian labor force increased by 350 from December to January even as the rate of unemployment fell to 4 percent.
鈥淭he number of employed increased by 1,250 and the number of unemployed decreased by 950,鈥� the monthly jobs report said.
Vermont鈥檚 unemployment rate is among the lowest in the nation 鈥� a fact Gov. Peter Shumlin mentions frequently 鈥� but that low rate in the past has been attributable to a shirking labor force, .
In January鈥檚 numbers, a continued drop in the unemployment rate despite a growing labor force reflects the fact that the number of jobs in the state is growing.
January鈥檚 numbers don鈥檛 reflect two sets of triple-digit cuts 鈥� and 鈥� that hit the state in February, which were likely significant enough to hurt that month鈥檚 jobs report, due out March 28.
