Vermont unemployment rate drops to 3.1 percent in July

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont Department of Labor says the state’s unemployment rate dropped slightly, to 3.1 percent, in July.

Labor Commissioner Lindsay Kurrle says there’s been steady job growth despite some year-over-year losses in construction and manufacturing.

She says job growth is being propelled by the private sector.

Unemployment in Vermont’s 17 labor markets in June ranged from 2.4 percent in White River Junction to 4.4 percent in Bennington and Derby.