At year’s end Vermont tallied fewer jobs and workers
Vermont lost jobs in 8 of the 12 months of 2019. There were 315,500 nonfarm payroll jobs in December—1,100 fewer than at the end of 2018. Vermont’s labor force also shrank last year. The numbers of people both working and unemployed were lower at the end of 2019 than in the previous December.
Self-employed
Self-employed Vermonters have been a constant in the state’s employment landscape. From 2008 to 2018, they made up nearly 15 percent of total Vermonters employed—more than 50,000 workers in 2018. People counted as self-employed are those who work for profit in their own business as their primary job. More Vermonters own businesses but are excluded because those enterprises are not their primary jobs.
Top ranked
Vermont has consistently ranked among the top states for self-employment rates. At 15.1 percent, Vermont had the highest rate in New England in 2018 and tied with Montana for the highest nationally. For 12 years, Vermont has remained in the top five states.
