Vermont Loses 900 Jobs in April as Labor Force Participation Falls to 62.7%

1 articles · Updated · VTDigger · May 30

April payrolls in Vermont fell by 900 jobs, a 0.3% drop from March and the state's steepest monthly loss of 2026.
The labor force participation rate slipped to 62.7%, down 0.2 percentage points, reinforcing signs that employment weakened beyond a single payroll survey.
State officials linked the decline to an aging workforce, population losses after a 2020 in-migration spike faded, and higher living costs squeezing household budgets; they also noted more Vermonters are working multiple jobs.
Vermont's unemployment rate still held at about 2.6%—well below the 4.3% national rate—because it is measured from household surveys and can diverge from payroll data.
Labor economists said April can be a noisy month even after seasonal adjustment and are waiting for May figures to judge whether the slowdown is broadening.

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