Fall River Unemployment Rate Rises Sharply in December

Keith Thibault January 26, 2021 Comments Off on Fall River Unemployment Rate Rises Sharply in December

The unemployment rate in Fall River rose in December to 10.1%, up from the November rate of 7.8%.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reports that the labor force in Fall River in December totaled 40,476 employees. 4,092 people were recorded as being unemployed. The 10.1% unemployment rate for December compares to a 4.7% unemployment rate for December of 2019.

Towns surrounding Fall River also saw a rise in their unemployment rates:

  • Somerset, 6.0% (5.4% in November)
  • Swansea, 6.2% (4.8% in November)
  • Westport, 6.9% (5.9% in November)
  • Freetown, 6.4% (5.0% in November)

Gateway Cities across Massachusetts also saw a rise in unemployment for December:

  • New Bedford, 9.9% (8.2% rate for November)
  • Taunton, 8.4% (7.1% in November)
  • Brockton, 10.6% (9.2% in November)
  • Lowell, 8.6% (7.3%% in November)
  • Lawrence, 14.5% (12.4% in November)

The state unemployment rate for December is 7.4%. Here is more information from the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development on the local numbers:

Latest Seasonally Unadjusted Unemployment and Job Estimates for Local Labor Markets in Massachusetts

BOSTON, MA January 26, 2021 — Local unemployment rates increased in twenty-four labor market areas in the state during the month of December, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported.

Compared to December 2019, the rates were up in twenty-four labor market areas.

Four of the fifteen areas for which job estimates are published recorded job gains in December. The largest percentage gains occurred in the Framingham and Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford areas. The remaining eleven areas experienced job losses, with the largest percentage losses occurring in the Barnstable, Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, and Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead areas.

From December 2019 to December 2020, all fifteen areas lost jobs with the largest percentage losses in the Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Springfield, Barnstable, and Pittsfield areas, which all experienced losses greater than 11 percent.

In order to compare the statewide rate to local unemployment rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the statewide-unadjusted unemployment rate for December was 7.1 percent.

Last week, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the month of December was 7.4 percent, up 0.7 percentage points from the November rate.

The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed a 600 job decrease in December, and an over-the-year loss of 335,400 jobs.

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 methodology specified by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

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