Greater Worcester unemployment rate jumped in May
Photo I WBJ File
Unemployment rose throughout Central Massachusetts in May.
Unemployment surged in Greater Worcester in May as Massachusetts experienced elevated rates in all 12 labor markets when compared to May 2024.
Greater Worcester’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate rose from 4.8% in April to 5.3% in May, reflecting a rate 1.4 percentage points higher than in May last year, according to the data released Tuesday by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, using information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In the city of Worcester specifically, unemployment rose by nearly 1 percentage point, growing from 4.6% in April to 5.5%. The city saw 104,802 people employed, down 120 from the month prior, and 6,089 unemployed, up from 5,087 in April. Like Greater Worcester, the city’s May unemployment rate was 1.4 percentage points higher than in May 2024.
Unemployment in Framingham climbed 0.8 percentage points in May, rising from 3.9% in April to 4.7%, a rate 1.5 percentage points higher than last year. Last month, the city had 39,371 residents employed and 1,921 unemployed.
Leominster’s unemployment rate in May remained unchanged from the 5.3% in April, which was 1.2 percentage points higher than the rate of 4.1% in May 2024.
Gardner’s unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points in May, one of the smallest increases in the region, yet sat at 6.0%, one of the highest in the state.
Athol’s unemployment rate was also 6.0% in May, up 0.7 percentage points from 5.3% in April. With 5,547 individuals employed and 354 unemployed, the town’s unemployment rate reflected a 1.7 percentage point increase from May 2024.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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