The jobless rate in Massachusetts fell below its pre-recession low in the first quarter of 2016, suggesting the labor market is tightening, according to MassBenchmarks data. (Photo courtesy of Flickr.com)
By Chris Lisinski
State House News Service
Massachusetts employers added a modest 6,300 jobs in December 2022 as the statewide unemployment rate ticked downward once again, remaining below the national level, labor officials announced recently.
Total employment statewide increased by 6,300, reflecting slower growth than the revised gain of 15,800 jobs in November, according to the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
Massachusetts remains on the precipice of achieving pre-pandemic levels of employment. A survey of employers estimated 3,732,900 jobs in December 2022, just shy of the 3,740,100 in February 2020 before the COVID-19 crisis prompted the loss of more than 690,000 positions.
In terms of unemployment, the rate dropped one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.3 percent in December, two-tenths of a point below the national average for the same month.
Governor Maura Healey kicked off her first-term legislative push by introducing a $987 million “immediate needs” bond bill on Thursday, January 19 to invest in housing and economic development, including $400 million for the MassWorks Infrastructure Program that helps drive new job growth.
New to NewBostonPost? Conservative media is hard to find in Massachusetts. But you’ve found it. Now dip your toe in the water for two bucks — $2 for two months. And join the real revolution.
The jobless rate in Massachusetts fell below its pre-recession low in the first quarter of 2016, suggesting the labor market is tightening, according to MassBenchmarks data. (Photo courtesy of Flickr.com) 
