Unemployment Continues to Fall Across Massachusetts

BOSTON — Unemployment rates went down in all 24 labor market areas in Massachusetts during the month of February, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported. The rates were also down in all areas compared to February 2015.

Six areas added jobs over the month, with gains in the Springfield, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Worcester, Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, and Peabody-Salem-Beverly areas.

From February 2015 to February 2016, fourteen areas added jobs, with the largest percentage gains in the Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Haverhill-Newport-Amesbury, and Barnstable areas. The Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead area recorded a loss.

Last week, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 4.5% for the month of February. The unemployment rate is down 0.6% over the year. The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed a 13,300 job gain in February and an over-the-year gain of 67,100 jobs.