Latest Seasonally Unadjusted Unemployment, Job Estimates

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BOSTON, Mass. — Local unemployment rates increased in twenty-one of twenty-four labor market areas in the state during the month of June 2024 compared to May 2024, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported.
 
Compared to June 2023, the rates were up in all twenty-four labor market areas.
 
Of the fifteen areas for which employment estimates are published, all fifteen NECTA areas gained jobs compared to the previous month. The largest percentage increases occurred in the Barnstable Town (+6.2 percent), Pittsfield (+2.5 percent), and New Bedford (+2 percent) areas.
 
From June 2023 to June 2024, ten areas gained jobs with the largest percentage increases seen in the Pittsfield (+2.2 percent), Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead (+2.2 percent), and Peabody-Salem-Beverly (+2.1 percent) areas.
 
The statewide seasonally adjusted preliminary jobs estimate showed an increase of 19,000 jobs in June, and an over-the-year gain of 40,200 jobs.
 
In order to compare the statewide rate to local unemployment rates, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the statewide unadjusted unemployment rate for June 2024 was 4.0 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from the revised May 2024 estimate and was the 0.3 percentage points below the nation's unadjusted unemployment rate of 4.3 percent.
 
Last week, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the month of June 2024 was 3.2 percent, up 0.2 percentage points compared to the revised May 2024 estimate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the nation's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June 2024 increased by 0.1 percentage point over-the-month to 4.1 percent.
 
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.
 
The estimates for labor force, unemployment rates, and jobs for Massachusetts are based on different statistical methodologies specified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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BCC Awarded Technical Assistance Grant

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) awarded Berkshire Community College (BCC) a $12,550 technical assistance grant to explore developing HVAC apprenticeships. 
 
EOLWD announced $3.2 million in Grants for Registered Apprenticeship Opportunities in Workforce (GROW) to 29 organizations to train and place 514 apprentices across the state. The grants, which include contract renewals and new awards, leverage more than $2 million in state funding complemented by remaining support from federal funds to train apprentices in high growth industries like health care, manufacturing, clean energy, early childhood education, and more.  
 
"Registered Apprenticeship is a proven program that provides jobseekers with hands-on training and skills that lead to a long-lasting, family sustaining careers" said Governor Maura Healey. "Our administration is proud to have made historic investments in Registered Apprenticeship, expanding the program to more industries and making it more accessible to populations that have been underrepresented in the workforce."  
 
Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones made the announcement at Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute in Boston.
 
Registered Apprenticeship provides individuals with paid work experience, classroom instruction, and on-the-job training combined with securing nationally recognized credentials, progressive wage increases, and economic mobility.  
 
EOLWD's Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS) is responsible for promoting, developing, and servicing registered apprenticeship programs in Massachusetts. DAS maintains more than 900 apprenticeship programs with over 11,000 apprentices currently working with the vast majority in construction but a growing number of apprentices in expansion industries such as manufacturing, life sciences, and health care.  
 
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