As Mass. labor market cools, here's how we compare
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The job market is cooler than average in states like Massachusetts, new data shows.
The big picture: Americans are feeling almost as gloomy about the job market as they did during the Great Recession — and entry-level workers are having an especially hard time getting their foot in the door.
By the numbers: Washington, D.C. (6%); California (5.5%) and Nevada (5.4%) had July's highest unemployment rates, based on preliminary and seasonally-adjusted Bureau of Labor Statistics data out Tuesday.
- Massachusetts (4.8%) has also struggled with unemployment, ticking up higher than the national rate of 4.2%.
- South Dakota (1.9% unemployment); North Dakota (2.5%) and Vermont (2.6%) had the lowest unemployment rates.
Zoom in: The Massachusetts Office of Labor and Workforce Development didn't specify what industries are being hit hardest in its latest press release, but the state has seen massive layoffs in life sciences and biomanufacturing and tech, as well as restaurant closures and downsizing in the cannabis industry.
- Massachusetts has also grappled with the layoffs of federal workers who served New England and the research jobs eliminated by federal funding cuts to universities.