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Job Markets In Maine's Largest Urban Areas Began To Recover In May

The job markets in Maine’s three major urban areas began to recover in May. The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released the data Wednesday.

In Bangor, the jobless rate went from 9.9 percent in April to 9.1 percent in May. In Lewiston-Auburn, the decline was from 10.2 percent in April to 9.2 percent in May. In Portland-South Portland, the unemployment rate fell from 11.2 percent to 10.3 percent.

The unemployment rates spiked in April, which was the only full month that Maine was under a stay-at-home order.

The May unemployment numbers stand in sharp contrast to the jobless figures in May 2019. Then, all three of Maine’s major urban areas had unemployment rates of less than 3 percent.