Jobs and employment return to pre-pandemic levels
Total nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 2,000 in January, topping 311,500 for the first time since March 2020. But the mix of jobs has changed. Jobs in the Professional and Business Services sector have increased by nearly 4,000. Meanwhile, the numbers in the Private Education and Health Services and Leisure and Hospitality sectors remain below their January 2020 levels—falling about 2,700 and 2,300 short, respectively.
This month
The number of Vermonters working increased again in January, just beating the number in January 2020, before the pandemic lockdown began. That makes the 45th consecutive month that employment has risen. The streak, starting in May 2020, is the longest in decades. The number of Vermonters looking for work also ticked up, even as the unemployment rate held steady at 2.3 percent, the third lowest in the country.
