Unemployment rate in MA hits 4.0%, increased for the 7th straight month
27% of jobs created year over year were government jobs
The unemployment rate in Massachusetts increased for the seventh straight month as the seasonably adjusted rate hit a 2024 high of 4.0% in November.
Year over year 27,100 new jobs were created in the Commonwealth, but 27% of those new jobs (7,300) were government employees. Government employment boomed in November adding 1500 new jobs.
Education and healthcare is often considered a proxy for government spending and 16,800 jobs were created year of year in the education and healthcare sectors combined.
But year over year the high paying information technology field was the hardest hit sector with a net loss of 4100 jobs, followed closely by manufacturing which lost 4000 jobs.
The little noticed data was announced by the Healey administration just days before Christmas.
The statewide seasonably adjusted unemployment rate bottomed out in April 2024 and has been on a steady march upward since but still remains slightly behind the national rate of 4.2%.