Augusta, Maine (Friday, October 19, 2012) Garrett Martin, Executive Director of the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP), issued the following statement concerning the September employment report released today by the Maine Department of Labor. The September unemployment rate for Maine was 7.6%.
“Once again job growth in Maine is anemic at best. Maine continues to rank near the bottom of states in terms of job growth over the last year. While these numbers are preliminary, Maine’s job count at 595,800 nonfarm jobs is identical to what it was a year ago and highlights the need to pursue policies that will result in good jobs and a stronger economy now. Maine’s unemployment rate for September at 7.6% remains below the U.S. rate of 7.8%, but this gap has closed significantly from a year ago when the U.S. rate was 9.0% compared to 7.4% in Maine.”
