Greater Worcester unemployment rose to 5% in January
Photo | Matt Wright
An employee at Rocco's Donuts in Millbury
The Greater Worcester region saw an 0.8-percentage-point increase in its unemployment rate to 5.0% in January.
The region, which includes Worcester County and Windham County, Conn., increased from 4.2% in December to 5.0% in January, according to a Friday data release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate is 2.6 percentage points lower than it was in January 2021.
Greater Worcester’s unemployment was higher than both the statewide average in January, which was 4.8%, and the nationwide average, which was 4.4%.
Almost 3,100 more individuals in the Worcester area were unemployed in January than there were in December. The civilian labor force also dropped 1,000 people from December to January, but was still about 2,500 higher than a year ago.
December’s unemployment rate was adjusted by BLS to be higher than was originally reported. BLS first reported a 3.6% unemployment rate in Greater Worcester for December, but it was adjusted up to 4.2%. Even with the adjustment, December had the lowest unemployment rate since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Of the sectors measured by BLS, leisure and hospitality has had the greatest growth in employment with a nearly 24% increase in jobs. Professional and business services had an 11.3% growth over the year.
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