Massachusetts Unemployment Rate Up Slightly in December
BOSTON — The state’s total unemployment rate rose 0.7% to 7.4% in December, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) preliminary job estimates indicates Massachusetts lost 600 jobs in December. This follows last month’s revised gain of 12,600 jobs. Over the month, the private sector added 5,200 jobs as gains occurred in professional and business services; trade, transportation, and utilities; construction; manufacturing; and financial activities. Losses occurred in leisure and hospitality, education and health services, information, other services, and government.
From December 2019 to December 2020, BLS estimates Massachusetts lost 335,400 jobs. Losses occurred in each of the private sectors, with the largest-percentage losses in leisure and hospitality, other services, construction, and education and health services.
The December unemployment rate was 0.7% above the national rate of 6.7% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The labor force increased by 70,400 from 3,588,100 in November, as 39,800 more residents were employed and 30,600 more residents were unemployed over the month.
Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 4.6%.
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 — was up by 1.2% over the month at 64.5%. Compared to December 2019, the labor-force participation rate is down by 3.4%.
