The statewide unemployment rate in Massachusetts rose slightly to 4.3% in February, above the national rate of 4.1% and where the Massachusetts rate was a year ago.
February’s statewide rate is up from the 4.2% unemployment rate in January and the 3.8% from February 2024, according to a press release issued Friday by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, citing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
The slight ticking up of the statewide rate is similar to what the Central Massachusetts region saw in January, where the unemployment rates in the region are all up less than a percentage point over the past year.
February saw an increase in the total number of people working in the labor force, which hit 3.926 million, up about 6,600 people from January.
The industry sectors with the most job losses from January to February were leisure and hospitality; financial activities; and professional, scientific, and business services.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article reported the state’s December unemployment rate was 4.3%, it was actually February’s rate.
Brad Kane is the editor of Worcester Business Journal.
