Massachusetts Employment Numbers Hold Largely Steady in December
BOSTON — The state’s December total unemployment rate was 4.1%, a 0.1% increase from the revised November estimate of 4.0%, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced. The Massachusetts unemployment rate was equal to the national rate of 4.1% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was up by 0.9%.
The labor force increased by an estimated 6,500 from the revised estimate of 3,853,900 in November, with 1,100 more residents employed and 5,500 more residents unemployed over the month. The state’s labor-force participation rate — the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks — increased by 0.1% to 66.5%. Compared to December 2023, the labor-force participation rate increased by 1.6% over the year.
The BLS preliminary job estimates for Massachusetts increased by 6,000 jobs in December. This follows November’s revised loss of 1,500 jobs. The largest over-the-month private-sector job gains were in education and health services; professional, scientific, and business services; and leisure and hospitality. Employment now stands at 3,747,300. Massachusetts gained 683,800 jobs since the employment low in April 2020.
From December 2023 to December 2024, BLS estimates Massachusetts gained 26,200 jobs. The largest over-the-year gains occurred in education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and government.
