March 11, 2021
Mass. businesses reopening, but layoffs remain high
Photo | Grant Welker
The Sears store at the Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough is closing, another sign of ongoing struggles in traditional retail.
By Grant Welker
Coronavirus case numbers are falling, vaccinations are becoming more commonplace, and spring is around the corner.
Still, a year after the pandemic hit, new unemployment claims across Massachusetts remain stubbornly high — roughly in line with last summer, when cases were lower, a vaccine was less certain and a fall and winter spike was widely expected.
Massachusetts workers filed nearly 16,000 new unemployment claims in the week ending March 6, according to new data released Thursday by the state's Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. That's half the rate of new job losses in early January when cases were reaching all-time highs and among the lowest weekly numbers since the pandemic began. It still remains multitudes higher than the state would typically see during more normal economic times.
Retail jobs continue to take a major hit, with 1,400 new claims last week the most of any industry in the state. Construction and health and social assistance jobs also continue to suffer high levels of job loss.
New unemployment claims also remain high nationally, with 712,000 new claims reported Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor. That's among the lowest since the pandemic hit, and a fraction of where the nation peaked with more than 6 million weekly claims in consecutive weeks last March and April.
The latest data comes as Massachusetts businesses are able to open to larger capacities. As of March 1, indoor performance venues are allowed to open to 50% of their capacity, and the capacity for all businesses rose from 40% to 50%. As of March 22, sports facilities will be open to 12% of their capacity.
Central Massachusetts companies have largely avoided big-scale layoffs in the past few months, at least according to mandatory notices of such action under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act. Milford's ABC Express Delivery notified the state that it plans to lay off 72 workers effective at the end of March.
The Massachusetts unemployment rate was 7.8% in January, according to new data released Friday, compared to a national average of 6.3%.
The Worcester area's unemployment rate in December was 6.9%, up from 6.2% a month prior. The region's figure for January will be released March 19.
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