How low can it go? NH unemployment set another record in June
Jul. 18—Businesses looking for good news on the hiring front didn't get it in the June unemployment report, which delivered a fresh record low unemployment rate of 1.8%.
"I think the 1.9% unemployment rate definitely doesn't help us in New Hampshire," said Renia Friend, recruiter/HR manager at Trego-Dugan Aviation in Manchester.
Told the unemployment rate actually dropped to 1.8% for June, Friend said: "Better for New Hampshire, worse for employers."
June's unemployment mark broke May's record of 1.9%, at the time the lowest in 47 years of recordkeeping. Three years ago, the unemployment rate spiked to a record 16.2% after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered parts of the economy.
For May, New Hampshire tied with Nebraska and South Dakota for the nation's lowest unemployment rate.
"It just means the challenge continues," said Mike Somers, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association. "We're certainly struggling to find workers at all levels of our establishments."
Trego-Dugan Aviation, which offloads Amazon packages from planes at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and loads them on to trucks destined for an Amazon distribution center and ultimately customers' homes, hired about a dozen people in two days this week but still has dozens of openings to fill after the addition of a third daily flight.
The Manchester operation has 268 workers — with 64 awaiting background check approvals — and a goal of hiring about 60 more people, Friend said.
The company has job hiring events at 7 Green Drive on Wednesday and Thursday as well as next week. Cargo agents start at $18 an hour with benefits.
New numbers released Tuesday showed the number of unemployed residents in the Granite State dropped by 1,120 between May and June to 13,470, which was 4,680 fewer than in June 2022.
The number of employed residents stood at 748,990 in June, a decrease of 310 from May and 1,570 fewer than in June 2022.
From May to June, the state's total labor force decreased by 1,430 to 762,460, which was 6,250 fewer than in June 2022.
Private industry accounted for 611,600 of those jobs in June. That was 3,900 fewer jobs than in May but 14,100 more jobs than in June 2022.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6% in June, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the May rate and unchanged from the June 2022 mark.
The state's June 2022 unemployment rate sat at 2.4%
