Maine’s unemployment rate in May ticked up slightly from April’s 3 percent in preliminary figures released Friday.

The May rate of 3.2 percent is well below the same month last year, which had a 3.9 percent unemployment rate. The rate has been below 4 percent for 16 of the last 19 months, according to Maine Department of Labor, which released a statement.

“The slight unemployment rate increase was expected; it does not indicate a deterioration in workforce conditions,” said the release, citing routine fluctuations in estimates.

Maine’s unemployment rate achieved 3.0 percent in March, the lowest in 40 years.

May unemployment rate estimates in New England were 2.9 percent in New Hampshire, 3.1 percent in Vermont, 4.2 percent in Massachusetts, 4.1 percent in Rhode Island and 4.9 percent in Connecticut.

The lowest rate was 2.7 percent in Cumberland County and the highest was 6.2 percent in Aroostook County.

The employment-to-population ratio estimate of 62.0 percent remained above the U.S. average of 60.0 percent.


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