New Hampshire Ends 2016 With 2.6 Percent Unemployment Rate

New Hampshire’s unemployment rate fell one-tenth to 2.6 percent in December, capping off a strong year for most sectors of the state’s economy.

The final jobs report of 2016 from New Hampshire Employment Security finds that nearly 16,000 more residents had jobs than at the start of the year, and that those jobs came in a variety of sectors.

Healthcare, hospitality and transportation were all strong during 2016, and both construction and manufacturing each added about 1,000 jobs. There were an estimated 2,200 fewer jobs in K-12 education, however.

New Hampshire has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, which is having a counter-productive effect: some companies and non-profits are struggling to find enough workers.

The national unemployment rate for December was 4.7 percent.