State, Local Jobless Rates Fall
Unemployment rates fell throughout most of Massachusetts – including the central part of the state – in October, according to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
The seasonally unadjusted statewide rate fell to 6.8 percent from 7.2 percent in September. The rates for Worcester County and the city were also down, but still higher than the statewide percentage.
The statewide rate has dropped a full percentage point from October 2010. The Worcester County rate, meanwhile, fell 1.1 percent over the same span, while the city rate fell 0.8 percent. The state said Worcester County gained nearly 4,000 jobs in October, with the city picking up more than 700.
The rate drops for the county and city are good news, said Michael Lanava, director of government affairs and public policy at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.
"We've seen this trend," Lanava said, adding that a lot of construction-associated trades such as carpentry and plumbing are at full employment in the area. He also said the region's education, life sciences and health care sectors "continue to hold steady." Small business permits, Lanava said, are also up over last year and showing growth.
The commonwealth’s jobless rate remains well below the national rate of 9 percent.
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