Labor officials say Vermont's unemployment rate hit an historic low in January at 2.5 percent, which they say is a mixed bag.
The state Labor Department said Monday that Vermont's rate was the lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state since at least 1976, when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started its online data.
The department says while the level of unemployment is good news for job seekers, the lack of available people to work means businesses "are having difficulty growing."
Officials say it's also becoming more challenging for businesses to maintain workforce size if an employee leaves.
The January rate across the state ranged from 2 percent in White River Junction and Woodstock to 5.8 percent in Derby.
The national jobless rate for January was 4 percent.
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