Thu, August 19, 2010
Massachusetts Employment Holding its Own
The Bay State’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported today that despite the loss of 6,000 census jobs, the state added a net 13,200 workers to its rolls in July, marking the sixth straight month of employment gains in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has added 60,200 jobs since December 2009, keeping the overall unemployment rate near 9%. Almost one-third of the 19,200 jobs added were in Leisure and Hospitality. New workers in Trade, Transportation and Utilities, Manufacturing, and various Services areas accounted for 10,500 jobs.
Interestingly, Health care and higher education – traditional drivers for the state’s economy – provided very little of the month’s growth, though over the course of the year the two areas plus technology accounted for close to half of the new jobs created.
The state’s employment picture continues to be slightly rosier than the nation as a whole. I’m hoping to attend this year’s fall meeting of the New England Economic Partnership (NEEP) conference, to catch up on where New England economists think things are going. 9% unemployment may be above-average relative to the rest of the nation, but it doesn’t point towards much of a recovery for the state in the near-term.
