As of June 16, NH’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2020 was 14.5 percent, reflecting the impact on unemployment due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it. This was a decrease of 2.6 percentage points from the April rate, which increased to 17.1 percent after revision.
The May 2019 seasonally adjusted rate was 2.5 percent. Seasonally adjusted estimates for May 2020 placed the number of employed residents at 620,630, an increase of 24,320 from the previous month, and a decrease of 132,220 from May 2019.
The number of unemployed residents decreased by 17,540 over-the-month to 105,590. This was 85,990 more unemployed than in May 2019. From April to May 2020, the total labor force increased by 6,780 to 726,220. This was a decrease of 46,230 from May 2019.
The unadjusted May 2020 unemployment rate for NH was 14.5 percent, a decrease of 2.7 percentage points from the April rate, which remained at 17.2 percent after revision. The May 2019 unadjusted rate was 2.4 percent. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2020 was 13.3 percent, a decrease of 1.4 percentage points from the April rate, and an increase of 9.7 percentage points from May 2019. The national unadjusted rate for May 2020 was 13.0 percent, a decrease of 1.4 percentage.
These figures are from the NH Department of Employment Security.
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