unemployment Archives - Lewiston Sun Journal

Maine unemployment drops as total jobs nearly reach pre-pandemic level

Maine employers added about 3,400 jobs a month since January, driving the unemployment rate to its lowest point in two years.

by MATT OTT March 31, 2022March 31, 2022

Job openings hovered at a near-record level in February, continuing a trend that Federal Reserve officials see as a driver of inflation.

The state is attempting to recoup $46 million from 11,000 Mainers it says failed to retroactively prove their eligibility for a federal aid program.

The state gained 3,200 jobs last month, largely in healthcare and social assistance, leisure and hospitality, and construction.

Maine prison inmates filed the suit after they were denied unemployment benefits for work-release jobs they lost in the pandemic.

by PAUL WISEMAN December 2, 2021December 2, 2021

Companies now complain that they can’t find workers to fill job openings, a near-record 10.4 million in September.

by CHRISTOPHER RUGABER November 12, 2021November 12, 2021

Businesses and other employers continued to post a near-record number of available jobs.

by CHRISTOPHER RUGABER October 12, 2021

The jump in people quitting their jobs strongly suggests that fear of the delta variant is partly responsible for the shortfall in workers.

by PAUL WISEMAN September 23, 2021September 23, 2021

In Maine, initial claims remained at 700 from the prior week, while new U.S. claims rose by 16,000 to 351,000.

As many as 22,400 Maine workers could lose benefits when federal programs established in March 2020 under the federal CARES Act expire.