The unemployment rate in the City of Fall River in February rose 0.7% points to 8.3%, up from 7.6% in January.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reports that the labor force in Fall River in February totaled 41,008 employees. 3,409 people were recorded as unemployed. The 8.3% unemployment rate for February compares to the 8.8% unemployment rate for February 2022.
Here are the rates of communities surrounding Fall River:
Somerset, 5.4% (4.8% in January)
Swansea, 5.1% (4.8% in January)
Westport, 6.4% (5.9% in January)
Freetown, 5.0% (5.1% in January)
Rates in select Gateway Cities across Eastern Massachusetts were also higher last month:
New Bedford, 7.6% (7.1% in January)
Taunton, 5.4% (5.1% in January)
Brockton, 5.5% (5.3% in January)
Lowell, 4.8% (4.6% in January)
Lawrence, 7.7% (7.1% in January)
The state unemployment rate for February sits at 3.7%. Here is more information from the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development:
From the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
BOSTON, MA March 28, 2023 — Local unemployment rates increased in nineteen labor market areas, decreased in two areas and remained unchanged in three labor market areas in the state during the month of February 2023 compared to January 2023, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported.
Compared to February 2022, the rates were down in twenty-one labor market areas, increased in one area and remained unchanged in two labor market areas.
Of the fifteen areas for which employment estimates are published, ten NECTA areas gained jobs compared to the previous month. The largest increases occurred in the Springfield MA-CT (+1.5%), Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton (+1.0%), and Pittsfield (+0.8%) areas.
From February 2022 to February 2023, fifteen areas gained jobs with the largest percentage increases seen in the Barnstable Town (+5.8%), Peabody-Salem-Beverly (+3.7%), and Springfield MA-CT (+3.4%) areas.
The statewide seasonally adjusted preliminary jobs estimate showed an increase of 3,000 jobs in February, and an over-the-year gain of 91,700 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 February 2023 was 4.2 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from the revised January 2023 estimate and three-tenths of a percentage point above the nation’s unadjusted unemployment rate of 3.9 percent.
Last week, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the month of February 2023 was 3.7 percent, up two-tenths of a percentage point from the revised January 2023 estimate of 3.5 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the nation’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February 2023 was 3.6 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 methodology specified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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