Greater Worcester's unemployment falls to 6.5%
Photo | Grant Welker
Construction is nearing completion on Courthouse Lofts at Main and Highland streets in Worcester.
The Worcester metropolitan area's unemployment rate has made drastic improvements in the past few months, including a fall to 6.5% in October, according to new federal data released Thursday.
The area's unemployment rate jumped as high as 16.1% in June, making it among the worst of any area in the country at the time. Since then, the rate has steadily improved, mirroring trends both across Massachusetts and nationally.
Since June, the Worcester area's unemployed ranks have fallen by more than half, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than 57,000 claimed unemployment in June, but 22,900 in October.
The area's labor force has made similar strides, despite coronavirus cases beginning to rise throughout October. The Worcester area's nonfarm employment stood at 273,000 in October, up from 259,100 in June.
The labor force remains far smaller than a year ago. More than 20,000 fewer people are working, a drop from last October of nearly 7%.
The Leominster-Gardner area made a similar leap, reaching a 7.6% unemployment rate in October, down from 19.2% in June. The area's nonfarm employment has improved by nearly 4% since June, but remains down 10% from a year ago.
The Massachusetts unemployment rate in October was 7.4%, and the national rate was 6.9%.
Other labor market indicators aren't as encouraging. In late November, new weekly unemployment claims in Massachusetts reached their highest levels in more than six months, including especially high increases in industries that were initially spared the worst of the economic hit.
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