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 Maine Department of Labor reported on Friday that unemployment rate fell from 9.9% in July to 6.9% in August. The department says 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 cautions that the unemployment estimates for August "significantly understate the level of job displacement that has occurred in Maine."
Also Friday, Maine officials said the total number of virus cases in the state topped 5,000since the start of the pandemic.