News Businesses, New Jobs

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Created on Friday, 21 February 2014 16:48

Written by Alex Farnworth

ST. JOHNSBURY - Vermont's unemployment rates are considerably lower (4.6%) than the nation's average (7.3%.)

Focusing more towards the Northeast Kingdom, Caledonia County is still near the top of the list in terms of Vermont's unemployment.

There are roughly 14,600 working residents in the county, leaving nearly 700 without jobs, which totals out to a 4.7% unemployment rate. Only Essex, Grand Isle and Orleans counties post a higher percentage of residents without work.

Every state has their own contributing factors across the nation, but it's safe to say many Vermont jobs rely on the seasons. With warm summers and nearly unbearable winters, locals can find jobs ranging from summer camp counselors, to skiing instructors and even in the public works department, whom the citizens depend on to plow the streets during the cold winter nights.

A lot of labor action has been taking place in St. Johnsbury in early 2014, both positive and negative.

A new banking branch just had its grand opening, bringing in new workforce positions. The Vermont State Employees Credit Union branch is a non-profit banking center, and is the first of its kind in the Northeast Kingdom.

Steven Post, the VSECU's CEO mentioned that this opening is great for the community:

"Yeah it helps with the community, we now have three-and-a-half full-time equivalent employees."

Both Steven Post and the VSECU's chairman, Jerry Diamond are both already looking forward to expansion. Next up will be Newport, which holds the potential for even more job openings.

Although the new bank brought in a few jobs, unfortunately, other opportunities have been lost.

With the recent flooding of the Green Mountain Mall, stores and businesses have not been able to function. While employees are allowed to file for unemployment, some stores aren't sure of when they will be able to re-open for business.

Needless to say, job openings come and go quite frequently, and luckily the Northeast Kingdom has it's fair share of opportunities. The nation's rates are glaring, but Vermont is doing a good job of helping those numbers decrease.