Unemployment Rate

What is This Indicator?

Percentage of people unemployed
(U.S. Department of Labor)

The unemployment rate has risen in Chittenden County as a result of the current recession.The county's rate, however, is lower than the statewide unemploymjent rate.

The unemployment rate is the percentage of the work force that is unemployed at any given date. This indicator does not account for those who need a full time position but do not have one, including those whose hours have been reduced from full-time to part-time, and people who have given up looking for work.

Why is it Important?

Full-time employment is essential to people's ability to support our families' basic needs, including housing, health care and education.  For many in our community, the recession and loss of a job has created unprecedented challenges and stress.

The state's July 2009 Economic Review and Revenue Forecast Update indicates the U.S. economy has now shed more than 6.5 million jobs since the recession began in late 2007, a number equal to the job gains over the past nine years, making this the only recession since the Great Depression to wipe out all job growth experienced during the previous economic expansion.

According to the Public Assets Institute's September 2009 Monthly Jobs Brief, "Vermont’s unemployment rate remained at 6.8 percent in August, the seventh month at this level or higher and the longest stretch since the early 1980’s. As bad as it is for Vermonters, workers elsewhere in the Northeast have it worse. Vermont now has the lowest unemployment rate in New England and New York."