Unemployment in Central Massachusetts held relatively steady in December and throughout the past year.
Greater Worcester’s seasonally unadjusted jobless rate climbed from 7.1 to 7.2 percent over the month, according to the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The rate was also 7.2 percent in December 2012.
Meanwhile, unemployment in the Framingham area rose from 5.1 to 5.2 percent in December, up slightly from 5.1 percent in December 2012.
North Central Massachusetts saw its jobless rate increase from 8.7 to 8.8 percent over the past month. The Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner area had an unemployment rate of 8.8 percent a year earlier.
Statewide, seasonally unadjusted unemployment rose from 6.6 to 6.7 over the past month, and is up from 6.6 percent a year ago.
 The number of people employed over the past month fell by 564 in the Worcester area, 96 in North Central Massachusetts and 24 in the Framingham area. The number of people unemployed over the past month rose by 146 in Framingham, 138 in Worcester and 137 in North Central.
(Image credit: freedigitalphotos.net)
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