Vt. unemployment drops slightly - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Vt. unemployment drops slightly

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MONTPELIER, Vt. -

Vermont's unemployment rate dropped slightly last month, ending a roller coaster year right back where it started.

The state Labor Department announced Friday that the statewide unemployment rate for December decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point from November to 5.1 percent. That's still significantly below the national average of 7.8 percent.

"This has been a historically long economic recovery coming out of a recession both nationally and on a state level, but I think there is some recent trending with the data that supports that the economic recovery is starting to take shape," said Mathew Barewicz, the economic and labor information chief for the Vermont Labor Department.

And state officials say another sign of a recovery-- last year 3,000 jobs were added. That's up 1 percent from the previous year.

Click here to read the full report from the Vt. Labor Department.

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