Jobs Losses Don’t Tell the Full Story

The latest Department of Labor figures confirm that Vermont is still struggling to restore the jobs lost in this recession. Non-farm jobs in September were down almost 15,000 from the start of the recession and have hovered there for more than a year. Meanwhile, the working-age population has grown. To keep pace with the workers who have entered the labor market since the recession began, Vermont needs an additional 18,000 jobs.

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The governor adds to unemployment
Despite the recession and the rise in unemployment, the Douglas administration eliminated nearly 700 jobs over the last three years—about 8 percent of the state workforce. Some agencies and departments took big hits: Natural Resources (-46 percent), Finance and Management (-35 percent), Commerce and Community Development (-22 percent), Education (-21 percent), Health (-19 percent), Aging and Independent Living (-16 percent). Nearly half the positions in the governor’s office are vacant.

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Mixed signals in monthly numbers
Vermont’s unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percentage points in September, a change that was not considered statistically significant to the U.S. Bureau of Labor of Statistics. The labor force was up over August, as was the number of employed Vermonters. Despite the apparent increase in employment, the number of seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs was down by 300.

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