At the holidays, some gladdish tidings

Non-farm payroll jobs increased again in November, reaching an all-time high of over 316,000. But the total number of employed Vermonters, which includes self-employed and farm workers in additional to those on a payroll, has declined since Non-farm payroll jobs increased again in November, reaching an all-time high of over 316,000. But the total number of employed Vermonters, which includes self-employed and farm workers in additional to those on a payroll, has declined since the start of the year. ¹

Uneven pay gains
After adjusting for inflation, hourly wages for both men and women increased from 2013 to 2014. But women saw a greater increase: more than 5 percent. While real—inflation-adjusted—wages for women were still below those of men, the wage gap shrank for the third straight year. That’s thanks both to gains for women and losses for men. Men’s wages are still lower than they were at their 2009 peak and lower than before the recession.

Shorter unemployment lines
Month to month, 2015 initial claims for unemployment compensation were down by almost half since the worst of the recession. While new claims vary with the season, the monthly average from January through November—about 2,700—also dropped from 2014. In 2009, the peak year for first-time claims during the recession, an average of 5,200 Vermonters filed each month.

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1. Non-farm payroll jobs are counted in a monthly survey of employers. The count of employed workers—as well as unemployed—comes from a separate monthly survey of households.[↩]