The federal government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics is out with the latest unemployment data for Maine's three largest urban areas.
The jobless figures for Bangor, Lewiston-Auburn and Portland-South Portland were so low in December there was virtually nowhere for them to go but up – and they did. Bangor from 2.6 percent to 3.3 percent in January, Lewiston Auburn from 2.3 percent to 3 percent, and Portland-South Portland from 2 to 2.5 percent.
Those figures, along with state unemployment numbers, continue to point to a very tight labor market.
In all three markets, their jobless rate in January was still lower than it was in January of 2017.