The Massachusetts unemployment rate held at 4.7% in April, nearly half a percentage point higher than the national rate, but employers here added 8,500 jobs last month, state officials reported Friday.
The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development also revised the estimated increase in jobs during March to 7,200 after that figure was originally reported at 6,800.
Construction, education and health services, and professional and business services jobs were up in April while jobs were down last month in information, manufacturing and financial activities.
Massachusetts has added about 21,600 payroll jobs since September 2025, the labor office noted, but data posted on the state’s website also shows jobs here are up by only 1,500 since April 2025.
Department of Economic Research Chief Economist Mark Rembert said in a statement that job posting activity “remains strong across sectors, with encouraging signals that the Commonwealth’s high-tech industries are seeking more workers as well.”
The state said the 86.7% labor force participation rate for Massachusetts workers between 25 and 54 years old was at its highest level in 10 years, but retirements continue to be a primary driver for the state’s overall labor participation rate, which fell to 65.6%. The state labor force decreased in April by 11,700 people.
The U.S. unemployment rate for April was 4.3%.
Michael P. Norton is the editor of State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts. Reach him at mnorton@stateaffairs.com.
