Public Assets Institute > Policy Areas > Family Economic Security > Job growth in 2017: So far so good

Job growth in 2017: So far so good

With an additional 600 new jobs in September, Vermont’s private employers have added 2,700 jobs so far this year. While the growth has been uneven, 2017 has seen the strongest first three quarters since 2011. Also in September, Vermont’s unemployment rate ticked down to 2.9 percent, the lowest level since December 2000.

 

 

 

 

Lonely commuters
The latest U.S. Census data show that most Vermonters drive to work by themselves. In 2016 three-quarters of Vermonters were solo commuters. Just 8 percent rode with others in a carpool. The share of lone drivers was about the same as the national average and has been fairly constant for the last 10 years. Carpooling has dropped off, however. In 2006, 11 percent of Vermonters shared the ride to work.

 

 

Needed child care
New Census data help to illustrate Vermont’s child care crunch. In 2016 nearly 70 percent of children under 6—more than 24,000 kids—lived in families where all parents worked: about 16,000 in two-working-parent families, 5,500 with single working mothers, and 2,900 with single working fathers. Meanwhile, the latest figures from the Department for Children and Families show Vermont has only about 18,000 slots at either licensed child care providers or registered homes.

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