The state’s unemployment rate fell one tenth of a percentin November. The current rate of 5.2 percent, seasonally adjusted, came with strong growth in the retail sector.
The jobs that come with selling stuff delivered over 3,000 new jobsin November and strictly speaking, more than just Christmas shopping drove the numbers. Seasonal adjustments are designed to filter out that sort of impact.
Administrative and office support services were another bright spot. On the down side, jobs in tourism and manufacturing took the biggest hits.
Overall, the latest numbers look a lot like what the state had in April of this year. The number of people working is just about the same. April was the first month when unemployment dropped under 5%. It stayed down too, but began creeping back up when concerns about a double-dip recession loomed large.
Those fears have now faded. Sluggish growth is now predicted well into next year.
