PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The unemployment rate in Maine dipped below 7% in August, but labor officials warned the jobs picture in the state has been erratic since the start of the pandemic.
The unemployment rate fell from 9.9% in July to 6.9% in August, the Maine Department of Labor reported on Friday. The department said in a statement the decrease in unemployment “was partly from an increase in employment, but mostly from a decease in labor force participation.”
The department also cautioned that the unemployment estimates for August “significantly understate the level of job displacement that has occurred in Maine.” The number of jobs in the state remained below February levels in every sector of industry, the department said.
The nationwide unemployment rate fell from 10.2% to 8.4% in the same period.
In other news related to the pandemic in Maine:
THE NUMBERS
Another 46 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the state, bringing the total number of reported cases in the state above 5,000, the Maine Center for Disease Control said Friday.
That brings the total number of people who’ve tested positive to 5,005, the Maine CDC said. The number of deaths was unchanged at 138.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
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