MA Adds 6,100 Jobs in April

Sunday, May 20, 2018
GoLocalWorcester Business Team

The State of Massachusetts added 6,100 jobs in the month of April while the unemployment rate remained at 3.5%, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced on Friday.

“Massachusetts has now experienced a 3.5 percent unemployment rate for seven consecutive months. Over the year, jobs are up 47,600 with Professional, Business and Scientific Services adding 19,200 jobs - signs of continuing growth and strength in the economy,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta.

Over the month, the private sector added 5,900 jobs as gains occurred in Education and Health Services; Professional, Scientific, and Business Services; Other Services; Financial Activities; and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities. Government also added jobs.

From April 2017 to April 2018, BLS estimates Massachusetts has added 47,600 jobs. 

Unemployment Rate Stays at 3.5%

The April unemployment rate stayed at 3.5%.

The rate was four-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.9 percent reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The labor force increased by 20,900 from 3,683,700 in March, as 19,700 more residents were employed and 1,300 more residents were unemployed over the month.

The state’s labor force participation rate is up over the month four-tenths of a percentage point at 66.0 percent. Compared to April 2017, the labor force participation rate is up four-tenths of a percentage point. 

Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased four-tenths of a percentage point from 3.9 percent in April 2017.