Unemployment in Massachusetts fell to 4.1% in April, continuing to drive down toward pre-COVID levels.
Unemployment levels dropped in 12 other states besides Massachusetts, as well as Washington D.C., according to a Friday press release from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. Massachusetts’ rate is still 0.5 percentage points higher than the national average.
The state’s April figure was a 0.2 percentage point decrease from March, when unemployment was 4.3%. It was also 2.2 percentage points lower than April 2021, as every state in America has seen a decrease in unemployment over the past year.
April’s 4.1% rate is the lowest unemployment has been in the state since before the coronavirus pandemic, when the rate was 2.9%.
In the last year, 28,064 people have joined the labor force in Massachusetts for a total of 3,775,748. From March to April, the labor force grew by 600 people.
Total non-farm employment has increased 5.1% over the course of the year, with the largest 12-month growth in leisure and hospitality, which has expanded by 24.3%.Â
