While Maine’s unemployment rate has fallen substantially in recent months, our state’s recovery from the recession is nowhere near complete. More than four-and-a-half years since the official end of the Great Recession, the drop in unemployment- to 6.4% in November from 7% in August -is encouraging news. But the monthly unemployment rate has significant limitations as a measure of the labor market’s health and is only one of many important indicators. The bottom line is that over 100,000 unemployed and part-time workers can’t find the employment they need, poverty is rising, wages for typical families remain depressed, and their prospects for economic opportunity and prosperity are uncertain.
Fact Sheet: 5 Facts to Remember about Unemployment and Jobs in Maine
- Categories: Jobs and Income
- Tags: Employment, Jobs
Jody Harris
Jody provides financial management, oversees grants administration, and manages board relations, and serves as MECEP’s policy lead on consumer finance protections.
She has over 30 years of experience in public management serving in policy roles in Maine state government under four governors and as town manager in two Maine towns. She has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Maine.
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