Massachusetts added 3,800 jobs in February while the state’s unemployment rate fell to 6.5 percent, down 0.3 percent from January, and 0.4 percent from February 2013, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) said Thursday.
The February gains were led by a 1.2-percent gain in jobs in professional services, a 0.6-percent increase in trade, transportation and utilities , and a 0.2-percent increase in the manufacturing industry, according to EOLWD, which uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Industries losing jobs in February included leisure and hospitality, financial activities, education and health services and construction.
Massachusetts has added 47,600 jobs since February 2013, according to EOLWD, but 227,900 people remained unemployed out of a labor force of 3.94 million.
