New Hampshire’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.7 percent for January, with modest job gains across a number of sectors.
The state added 850 jobs during the month, with that growth coming in retail and healthcare, as well as food service and accommodations. There were also gains in construction and business services. Overall, New Hampshire retains one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation.
“It’s been below 3% for a long time now,” says economist Annette Nielsen with N.H. Employment Security. “That’s very impressive.”
Nielsen says another positive sign is that the state’s labor force--the the total number of people with jobs or those looking for jobs--continues to inch up after more than five years of flat performance.