BOSTON – The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development yesterday reported that the May 2012 seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates were down in twelve areas, unchanged in five areas and up in five areas over the month. Over the year, the rates are down in all twenty two labor areas.
Statewide, the May seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 5.8 percent, down 0.1 of a percentage point from 5.9 percent in April. Over the year, the statewide unadjusted rate was down 1.4 percentage points from the May 2011 unadjusted rate of 7.2 percent.
In May 2012, over the month job gains occurred in all twelve areas that estimates are published due to seasonal increases. The largest gains occurred in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Barnstable, Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford and Peabody areas. The Barnstable area had the largest over the month rate of job growth due to seasonal gains. The Pittsfield, Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford and Peabody areas also recorded noteworthy growth.
Over the year, ten of the twelve areas for which estimates are published added jobs with the largest percentage gains in the Peabody, Barnstable, Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford and Boston-Cambridge-Quincy areas.
The seasonally adjusted statewide May unemployment rate, released on June 14th, was 6.0 percent, a drop of 0.3 of a percentage point from April, and down 1.4 percentage points from the 7.4 percent rate recorded in May 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.
NOTES
The June 2012 unemployment rate, labor force data, and jobs estimates for Massachusetts will be released on July 19, 2012; local unemployment statistics will be released on July 24, 2012. Detailed labor market information is available at www.mass.gov/lmi.
