BOSTON – The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development today reported that the September 2012 seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates were down in ten areas; unchanged in three areas; and up in nine areas over the month. Over the year, the rates are down in all twenty two labor areas.
Statewide, the September seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate remained at 6.4 percent. Over the year, the statewide unadjusted rate was down 0.9 of a percentage point from the September 2011 unadjusted rate of 7.3 percent.
In September 2012, over the month job gains occurred in nine of the twelve areas for which estimates are published. The largest job gains occurred in the Springfield, the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy and Worcester areas. Losses occurred in the Barnstable, Peabody, and Pittsfield areas.
Over the year, ten of the twelve areas added jobs with the largest percentage gains in the Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, Peabody, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, and Barnstable areas.
The seasonally adjusted statewide September unemployment rate, released on October 18th, was 6.5 percent, an increase of 0.2 of a percentage point over the August 6.3 percent, and down 0.7 of a percentage point from the 7.2 percent rate recorded in September 2011. The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed a 5,100 job gain over the month.
The labor force, unemployment rates and jobs estimates, for Massachusetts and for every other state, are based on statistical methodologies specified by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.
