 |
|
State reports unemployment down in SouthCoast
By Joseph R. Laplante
Standard-Times staff writer
 NEW
BEDFORD — Unemployment dropped across the state in
March, including Greater New Bedford, which improved by
almost 2 percentage points, the Massachusetts Department
of Workforce Development reported Tuesday.
The drop in unemployment in the New Bedford labor market
lifted the city and its environs from the bottom of
joblessness up one spot, above Lawrence, the agency
reported.
New Bedford's unemployment rate in March was 7.3
percent, down from 9.2 percent in February. The March
number is also an improvement over the March 2006
unemployment rate of 7.8 percent.
The Lawrence-Methuen-Salem area reported the worst
unemployment rate in Massachusetts in March at 7.4
percent, which was a drop from 8.4 percent in February
and down from 7.9 percent in March, 2006.
The most encouraging news for Greater New Bedford was
the addition of 700 new jobs in March, said Linnea
Walsh, spokeswoman for the agency.
"The largest number was 300 new jobs in leisure and
hospitality," Ms. Walsh said. "Trade, transportation and
utilities saw gains as well. New jobs were also reported
in the professional, scientific and business services
area as well as in education and health."
The news is good elsewhere. The commonwealth added
15,100 new jobs during the first quarter of 2007, the
agency said, with strong job gains in the same areas as
New Bedford: educational and health services, as well as
in professional, scientific and business services and
trade, transportation and utilities.
At 3,273,100 in March, jobs were up by 37,100 or 1.1
percent from one year ago and are up by 94,200 since
December 2003, according to the agency.
At 4.4 percent, the Massachusetts unemployment rate is
down nearly a full percentage point from 5.3 percent in
February, and is at its lowest rate since October 2001.
This rate is also down from the 4.8 percent recorded one
year ago.
The national unemployment rate was also at 4.4 percent
in March, edging down from 4.5 percent in February. One
year ago the national rate was 4.7 percent.
Contact Joseph R. LaPlante at
jlaplante@s-t.com
Publication date: April 25, 2007 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
