Massachusetts Unemployment Holds Steady in April
BOSTON — The state’s April total unemployment rate was 2.9%, unchanged from the revised March estimate of 2.9%, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced. The Massachusetts unemployment rate was 1.0% lower than the national rate of 3.9% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was down by 0.3%.
The labor force increased by an estimated 12,200 from the revised estimate of 3,757,000 in March, with 10,100 residents more employed and 1,900 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 0.2% over the month to 65.1%. Compared to April 2023, the labor-force participation rate was unchanged.
The BLS preliminary job estimates indicate Massachusetts lost 500 jobs in April. This follows March’s revised loss of 4,100 jobs. The largest over-the-month private-sector job gains were in education and health services; professional, scientific, and business services; and trade, transportation, and utilities. Employment now stands at 3,733,000. Massachusetts gained 669,500 jobs since the employment low in April 2020.
From April 2023 to April 2024, BLS estimates Massachusetts gained 21,800 jobs. The largest over-the-year gains occurred in education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and government.
