Vermont’s unemployment rate holds steady at 2.8 percent

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont labor officials say the state’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.8 percent in August.

That’s unchanged from July, which was the same as the unemployment rate in May and June.

Nationally, the August unemployment rate was 3.9 percent.

In Vermont’s 17 labor markets, the jobless rate ranged from a low of 2.2 percent in White River Junction to a high of 4 percent in Derby.

Vermont Labor Commissioner Lindsay Kurrie said Friday that Vermont continues to experience both the upside and the downside of a low unemployment rate, with tight labor market conditions making it easier for people to find work while also creating recruiting challenges for employers seeking to fill jobs.