New number shows 2015 behind 2014 in job growth
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The office of Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker II addressed job growth recently.
Officials have released new data showing that contrary to previous reports from the government, 2014, not 2015, was the biggest year for job growth in Massachusetts since 2000.
With job gains in trade, transportation, construction, manufacturing and government, the jobless rate trickled downward from the 4.9 percent mark in December, according to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
"While the preliminary estimates indicate jobs are down over the month, several sectors experienced job growth in January," Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker said in a statement. "Construction added 2,200 jobs; manufacturing is up 700 jobs, and trade, transportation and utilities was up 3,800 jobs over the month."
The unemployment rate in Massachusetts remains below the national rate of 4.9 percent, according to Walker's secretariat.
The jobs numbers released Thursday also revealed that the state did not gain nearly as many jobs in 2015 as it first reported.
Revised numbers released Thursday show that Massachusetts added 41,100 jobs last year, about 44 percent fewer than the 73,800 jobs that LWD reported in January. Back in January, LWD said 2015 displayed "the strongest over the year job gains since 2000," when 95,500 jobs were added.
But LWD on Thursday also issued revised job numbers for 2014, showing that the state actually added 83,000 jobs that year, a 36 percent increase over the 60,900 first reported last year and making 2014 -- not 2015 -- the strongest year for job gains since 2000.
The numbers differ from the initial reports because of "annual revisions to the employer survey," the department said in its statement, adding that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics "annually updates job estimates for each state with the most up-to-date information supplied by employers."
During 2014 and 2015, Massachusetts gained 124,100 jobs -- not the 134,700 that was first reported, according to the revised numbers released Thursday.
State estimates say there are 3.4 million employed Massachusetts residents and 166,400 unemployed residents. Unemployed residents are defined as people who have actively looked for work in the last four weeks.
Preliminary jobs numbers for February are slated to be released by Labor and Workforce Development on March 24.
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