Economy

The state was one of 31 in the country to see a drop in unemployment, with the other 19 states remaining stable, according to a Friday report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate, 3.8%, was still lower than Massachusetts’ average.

Graduate students at Clark University in Worcester voted 100 to 7 in favor of unionizing with Teamsters Union Local 170, according to social media posts from the student group on Tuesday.

The latest batch of employment data estimated that Massachusetts had about 181,000 unemployed workers in January, a month when the statewide count of jobs stood 131,000 below where it was before COVID-19 hit.

The average gasoline price in Massachusetts is now at $4.26 per gallon of regular unleaded, down 9 cents since last week, according to a report from the travel group AAA Northeast. 

Neles Corp., a valve manufacturer with a facility in Shrewsbury, and Valmet Oyj, a technology developer in Finland, are set to complete their proposed merger on April 1.

The Greater Worcester region saw an 0.8-percentage-point increase in its unemployment rate to 5.0% in January.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s annual year-end revisions to unemployment data showed Massachusetts’ unemployment rates in 2020 and 2021 were actually significantly higher than previously reported.

Seven nonprofits from around Central Massachusetts are slated to receive $7.4 million in funding from the $1.5-trillion federal appropriations package signed into law by President Joe Biden on Saturday.

The pandemic has disrupted employment across the Worcester region, but better days are likely at hand, a panel of experts said this morning during the WBJ Economic Forecast Forum webinar.

Graduate student workers at Clark University in Worcester formally requested union recognition in a letter to the college administration on Wednesday.