More people might be out of work nationally, but Maine workers are still beating the odds.

Nationally, unemployment stands at 6.4 percent; Maine’s rate is 4.4 percent, hovering just above the 4.3 percent rate of a year ago.

But the figures vary throughout western Maine, according to the Maine Department of Labor June reports. While the Lewiston-Auburn area remains relatively strong with a rate of 4.3 percent, Farmington reports about 1,070 people are out of work, representing a 6.3 percent unemployment rate.

In the Norway-Paris area, the unemployment rate registers at 5.9 percent and in Rumford it rises to 8.6 percent, where 840 are out of work in that market survey area. The highest unemployment rate in the state – 30.3 percent – occurs in the Millinocket area where the idled Great Northern mill has created layoffs of more than 1,000 people.

“The Maine labor market was little changed between May and June,” said state Labor Commissioner Laura Footman. “…the number of nonfarm wage and salary jobs remained essentially even at 605,500.”

Between June 2002 and June 2003 about 900 jobs were lost in the nonfarm wage and salary job category. The manufacturing sector recorded the greatest job loss, with declines in paper and wood products. Partially offsetting the losses were gains in the educational and health services and government categories.

The state also performed well in gross state product – the value added in production by labor and property in a state. GSP is factored by totaling sales, operating income, commodity taxes and inventory change minus the consumption of goods and services purchased from other U.S. industries or imported. The national average of GSP was 0.4 percent and in New England, .02 percent. Maine recorded a .8 percent increase in GSP from 2000 to 2001.

The greatest growth in the private sector of GSP occurred in the service industry, with increases recorded in retail trade and wholesale trade. After service, the industries that showed the most growth were finance, insurance and real estate. GSP declined in manufacturing and construction.

– Carol Coultas