Mass. lost 5,300 jobs in August
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Massachusetts lost 5,300 jobs in August, causing the unemployment rate to rise to 5.8 percent, with the since-resolved ownership dispute at the Market Basket grocery store chain apparently playing a key role, the Patrick Administration announced Thursday.
The 0.2 percent rise in unemployment, to 5.8 percent, and the dip in jobs were impacted by what the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) called “temporary disruptions” in the retail sector, an apparent reference to the ownership and management turmoil at Market Basket, as thousands were out of work before ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas won control of the company. Market Basket operates 71 stores, 42 of them in Massachusetts, and seven in Central Massachusetts.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the trade, transportation and utilities segment, which includes retail, lost 10,600 jobs in August.
Other sectors that lost jobs last month were construction (down 700), and manufacturing (down 700).
Meanwhile, education and health services gained 1,600 jobs, as did leisure and hospitality. Professional and business services (up 1,100) and financial activities (up 100) also saw gains.
Overall, since August 2013, Massachusetts has added a net o53,500 private-sector jobs. The state’s unemployment rate has fallen 1.4 percent since the August 2013 rate of 7.2 percent, the EOLWD said.
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