Maine jobless rate up to 4.7%

AUGUSTA – Maine’s unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage point in February to 4.7 percent, the state Labor Department said Friday.

While Maine’s February jobless rate was higher, it was still below the national February rate of 5.4 percent, Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said.

Maine’s jobless rate has remained within a few tenths of a percentage point for the past year, Fortman said.

“During this time, job growth has kept pace with labor force growth, with little change in unemployment,” Fortman said.

The unemployment figures are adjusted to remove the influences of seasonal patterns so they better reflect longer-term trends, the Labor Department said.

The January rate for Maine was revised upward from 4.1 percent to 4.4 percent based on updated unemployment insurance claims counts, the department said.