BOSTON – The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development today reported that the December 2012 seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates were up in all twenty-two areas over the month. Over the year, the rates are down in six areas; twelve areas went up; and four areas were unchanged.
Statewide, the December seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 6.6 percent, up 0.5 of a percentage point. Over the year, the statewide unadjusted rate was unchanged.
In December 2012, over the month job gains occurred in the (1) Peabody, (2) Framingham, (3) Haverhill-North-Andover, (4) Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, and (5) Pittsfield areas.
Over the year, eleven of the twelve areas added jobs with the largest percentage gains in the New Bedford (+3.7%), Peabody (+3.1%), Boston-Cambridge-Quincy (+2.8%), and Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner (+2.1%) areas.
The seasonally adjusted statewide December unemployment rate, released on January 17th, was 6.7 percent, up 0.1 of a percentage point over the month and down 0.2 of a percentage point from the 6.9 percent rate recorded in December 2011. The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed a 7,500 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.
