Vt. unemployment ticks up to 4.1 percent in May

By Associated Press

MONTPELIER — The Vermont Department of Labor says the state’s unemployment rate ticked up one tenth of 1 percent in May to 4.1 percent.

Officials say the increase is consistent with national trends in which the rate increases because more people are looking for work.

The Vermont numbers released Friday do not take into account layoffs at the Essex Junction IBM facility.

May unemployment rates for Vermont’s 17 labor market areas ranged from 2.8 percent in Hartford to 5.9 percent in Newport.

The rate compares with a rate of 4 percent in April and 4.7 percent in May 2012.

Vermont’s unemployment rate was the third lowest in the country. It compares to a national unemployment rate of 7.6 percent.