Image | WBJ Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
December 18, 2020
Mass. unemployment rate drops again, to 6.7%
Photo | Grant Welker
A vacant storefront on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester stands available for lease.
By Grant Welker
Spiking COVID-19 cases late this fall haven't put a major dent so far in the state's unemployment.
The Massachusetts unemployment rate in November dropped to 6.7%, according to new U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday, a 0.7-percentage-point improvement from the month prior that puts the state 35th nationally.
The jobs picture is mixed. On one hand, the state's unemployment rate is drastically better than the 17.7% rate in June, when it was the nation's worst. But employment dipped slightly from October to November, despite the improved unemployment rate, and both employment and unemployment numbers remain far worse than a year ago, just before the pandemic began.
Image | WBJ Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Image | WBJ Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
From November 2019 to last month, the number of Massachusetts residents working dropped by 391,000 people, or 10.5%. The state's unemployment ranks have ballooned during that time from 106,510 to 241,109. New weekly unemployment claims in Massachusetts continue to rack up tens of thousands of newly unemployed workers each week, including more than 24,000 new claims in the week ending Dec. 12. A typical week pre-pandemic would be in the low four digits.
Nebraska and Vermont tied for the nation's best unemployment rate in November at 3.1%, with the latter state also claiming by far the nation's lowest coronavirus case count. Nebraska, along with close runners-up Iowa and South Dakota, is among states that have imposed fewer business-related closures than states such as Massachusetts. New Jersey, with among the tightest restrictions, had the nation's worst unemployment rate at 10.2%, followed by two states heavily dependent on tourism travel, Nevada and Hawaii.
Metropolitan area unemployment rates for November are slated to be released Jan. 5.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments