BOSTON – The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development today reported that the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) preliminary estimates show that Massachusetts added 3,500 jobs in May and the total unemployment rate slightly increased to 6.6 percent.
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities; Construction; Financial Activities; Professional, Scientific, and Business Services; Other Services; and Education and Health Services added jobs in May. In the first five months of 2013, Massachusetts added 14,500 jobs. Over the year, Massachusetts added 49,600 jobs, 46,900 of which were in the private sector.
Over the year, the unemployment rate was down 0.1 of a percentage point from the May 2012 rate of 6.7 percent. Revised BLS estimates show 3,300 jobs lost in April.
May 2013 Employment Overview
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities added 2,000 (+0.4%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Trade, Transportation, and Utilities added 3,600 (+0.7%) jobs.
Construction gained 1,000 (+0.9%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Construction has added 5,000 (+4.4%) jobs.
Financial Activities added 900 (+0.4%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Financial Activities shed 800 (-0.4%) jobs.
Professional, Scientific, and Business Services added 900 (+0.2%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Professional, Scientific, and Business Services added 16,000 (+3.3%) jobs.
Other Services gained 900 (+0.7%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Other Services added 3,500 (+2.9%) jobs.
Education and Health Services added 800 (+0.1%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Education and Health Services gained 16,600 (+2.4%) jobs.
Manufacturing lost 1,200 jobs (-0.5%) over the month. Over the year, Manufacturing lost 3,500 (-1.4%) jobs.
Leisure and Hospitality lost 900 (-0.3%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Leisure and Hospitality added 4,700 jobs (+1.5%).
Information lost 600 (-0.7%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Information gained 1,900 (+2.2%) jobs.
Government lost 200 (0.0%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Government gained 2,700 (+0.6%) jobs.
Labor Force Overview
The May 2013 estimates show 3,251,200 Massachusetts residents were employed and 230,500 were unemployed, for a total labor force of 3,481,700. The May labor force increased by 8,900 from 3,472,800 in April 2013, as 1,100 more residents were employed and 7,800 more residents were unemployed over the month. The labor force was an estimated 7,600 above the 3,474,100 May 2012 estimate, with 9,500 more residents employed and 1,900 fewer residents unemployed.
The unemployment rate is based on a monthly sample of households. The job estimates are derived from a monthly sample survey of employers. As a result, the two statistics may exhibit different monthly trends.
