BOSTON – The state’s July total unemployment rate is down 1.6 percentage points at 16.1 percent, according to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) preliminary job estimates indicate that Massachusetts added 72,100 jobs in July.
It follows June’s gain of 94,600 jobs. Despite the gains, Massachusetts has the highest jobless rate in the nation.
Over the month, the private sector added 67,300 jobs as gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, trade, transportation and utilities.
Losses occurred in financial activities and professional, scientific and business services.
From July 2019 to July 2020, BLS estimates Massachusetts lost 452,600 jobs.
The July unemployment rate was 5.9 percentage points above the national rate of 10.2 percent, reported by the BLS.
The labor force decreased by 12,600 from 3,684,300 in June, as 50,300 more residents were employed and 62,900 fewer residents were unemployed over the month.
Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 13.2 percentage points.
The state’s labor force participation rate – the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks – dropped to 64.9 percent.
Compared to July 2019, the labor force participation rate is down by 2.8 percentage points.
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