slides: Massachusetts Employment Rates Rank Among Nation’s Best Since 2007

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

GoLocalProv News Team

Employment in Massachusetts has proven to be resilient during the economic downturn of the past several years.

According to data released by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Commonwealth has had a 1.3 percentage point drop in employment rate since 2007 for adults aged 25-54. Only Nebraska and Vermont retained a higher percentage of jobs in that span.

“Even during a global economic downturn, the Patrick Administration has pursued a growth strategy of investing in education, innovation and infrastructure to grow jobs and create opportunity throughout the Commonwealth," said a spokesman from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. "This report confirms that this is a winning strategy and that Massachusetts is continuing to lead the nation in putting our residents to work.”

In 2007, 80.3 percent of Bay Staters in that demographic had jobs; and as of Fiscal Year 2013, 79.1 percent remained employed. No state has shown employment gains in that period.

Despite the positive trend, unemployment is still an issue in Massachusetts. Recently released November data shows that for the first time in more than five years, the state's rate (7.1%) surpassed the national rate of 7.0 percent.

See how each of New England's states have fared in the slides below:

Related Slideshow: Pew Research: New England Employment Figures From FY2007 to FY2013

While unemployment figures receive more media attention, the employment rate is a preferred index for many economists because it provides a sharper picture of changes in the labor market. The unemployment rate, for example, fails to count workers who stopped looking for a job. By focusing on 25- to 54-year-olds, trends are less distorted by demographic effects such as older and younger workers’ choices regarding retirement or full-time education.

Below are the employment rates in FY2007 and FY2013 for New England states as referenced by the Pew Charitable Trust's "Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis" Report, ranked from best to worst.