Economy

Spiking COVID-19 cases late this fall haven't put a major dent so far in the state's unemployment. The Massachusetts unemployment rate in November dropped to 6.7%, a 0.7-percentage-point improvement from the month prior.

The Worcester metropolitan area's unemployment rate has made drastic improvements in the past few months, including a fall to 6.5% in October, according to new federal data released Thursday.

New weekly unemployment claims in Massachusetts have reached their highest levels in more than six months, with some industries that had initially been relatively spared, including manufacturing and education.

The Massachusetts unemployment rate rallied in October, dropping to 7.4% despite lingering high unemployment claims and economic risks from the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

The MassHire employment office in Worcester has been chosen as one of six such sites nationwide for a pilot program meant to help people find work during the coronavirus pandemic.

Table Talk Pies is being investigated by federal officials for workplace safety concerns at facilities in Worcester and Shrewsbury following a series of instances in which the company has already been fined.

As lawmakers debate the budget plan for the fiscal year that's already underway and the state Treasury prepares to go to market next week to sell almost $1.4 billion in new debt, credit rating agencies taking notice of Massachusetts's budget management and the outlook for an economic recovery here.

Unemployment rates dropped in September in the Worcester and northern Worcester County areas despite rising numbers of new unemployment claims since late summer.

Massachusetts is facing twin challenges this fall as both coronavirus cases and new unemployment claims rise.

The ability for working parents to find child care is likely to fall far short of demand, posing a challenge to a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a publication co-authored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.