More Vermonters are finding jobs, fewer driving to work
The Covid pandemic shaped Vermonters’ commuting habits. According to new U.S. Census data, nearly 15,000 fewer workers commuted daily in 2022 than did so before the pandemic. Almost 80 percent of those pre-pandemic commuters drove alone. The Census data also show nearly 56,000 Vermonters working from home last year, up from nearly 23,000 in 2019.
Vermonters may be sliding back to their old ways, however. Commuting alone inched up and remote work inched down in 2022 as compared with 2021, when Covid was regarded as more of a threat. If Vermonters continue to forgo getting in their cars, that might reduce greenhouse gas emissions—and the pandemic might have done a bit of good for the climate.
This month
An additional 350 Vermonters found work in September, the 11th month in a row that the number of people employed increased. Since October of last year, 9,700 more Vermonters joined the ranks of the employed. Meanwhile, the number of Vermonters without jobs and looking for work fell in nine of the last 11 months. Unemployment rose in August and September, by about 100 and 200 people, respectively.
All of this has put pressure on employers. As of August—the latest month data are available—there were nearly three times as many job openings as Vermonters actively looking for work.
