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Pittsfield, North Adams Jobless Rates Drop Slightly

Staff Reports

BOSTON — The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reports that the January seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates were up in all 22 labor-market areas, including Pittsfield, reflecting seasonal trends.

Statewide, the January seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 9.0 percent, an increase of 1.0 percentage point from the revised December rate of 8.0 percent. Despite adding jobs over January 2010, Pittsfield's unadjusted jobless rate is 9.3 percent and North Adams is 10.5. Both those rates are down fractionally over last year.
 
Over-the-year, unemployment rates were lower in 20 of the 22 areas. The Amherst and Tisbury rates were up. Over-the-year, the state unadjusted unemployment rate was down 0.6 of a percentage point from the 9.6 percent rate in January 2010.
 
In January seasonal influences resulted in over-the-month jobs losses in all 12 areas for which job estimates are published.  However, over-the-year job gains were realized in nine of the areas while three had a loss. Job gains occurred in the New Bedford, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Worcester; Barnstable, Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Haverhill-North-Andover-Amesbury, Pittsfield, Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner and Springfield areas.  The Peabody, Framingham, and Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford areas lost jobs.
 
The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate released on March 3rd showed a 5,600 job gain. The commonwealth has added 33,800 jobs since December 2009. The seasonally adjusted statewide January unemployment rate of 8.3 percent was unchanged over-the-month and down 0.5 of a percentage point from the 8.8 percent rate in January 2010. The Massachusetts statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remains well below the national rate of 9.0 percent.
 
The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.
 
NOTES: The local area unemployment rates and labor force data have been revised for 2010; the revised estimates for 2006 through 2009 will be published on March 29, 2011.  The labor area jobs data have been revised for 2009 and 2010.
 
The February 2011 unemployment rate, labor force data and jobs estimates for Massachusetts will be released on March 17, 2011; local unemployment statistics will be released on March 29, 2011.  Detailed labor market information is available at www.mass.gov/lmi. See the revised February, 2011 Media Advisory annual schedule for complete listing of release dates also at www.mass.gov/lmi.

 

Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
Division of Unemployment Assistance

Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment

Massachusetts and Labor Areas

(Data not seasonally adjusted)
Location Labor Force Employment Unemployment Rate
  Jan
2011
Dec
2010
Jan
2010
Jan
2011
Dec
2010
Jan
2010
Jan
2011
Dec
2010
Jan
2010
Jan
2011
Dec
2010
Jan
2010
Mass. 3,482,900 3,488,300 3,464,900 3,171,000 3,209,100 3,130,800 311,900 279,200 334,000 9.0 % 8.0 % 9.6 %
Metropolitian Divisions                        
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy 1,541,284 1,542,443 1,532,459 1,426,878 1,437,727 1,408,122 114,406 104,716 124,337 7.4 % 6.8 % 8.1 %
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton 129,670 129,316 128,531 116,387 117,477 114,555 13,283 11,839 13,976 10.2 % 9.2 % 10.9 %
Framingham,
NECTA
148,411 148,310 148,682 138,378 139,131 137,500 10,033 9,179 11,182 6.8 % 6.2 % 7.5 %
Haverhill-N Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH 124,596 124,353 123,924 114,509 115,367 112,520 10,087 8,986 11,404 8.1 % 7.2 % 9.2 %
Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, MA-NH 75,130 74,578 73,052 65,344 65,543 63,095 9,786 9,035 9,957 13.0 % 12.1 % 13.6 %
Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH 155,408 155,525 155,512 141,515 142,899 140,002 13,893 12,626 15,510 8.9 % 8.1 % 10.0 %
Taunton-Norton-Raynham, MA 64,649 64,050 64,269 58,447 58,627 57,609 6,202 5,423 6,660 9.6 % 8.5 % 10.4 %
Metropolitian Statisical Areas                        
Barnstable, MA 129,408 130,873 128,027 114,465 118,555 112,510 14,943 12,318 15,517 11.5 % 9.4 % 12.1 %
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH 2,547,518 2,546,972 2,535,514 2,347,852 2,365,154 2,317,075 199,666 181,818 218,439 7.8 % 7.1 % 8.6 %
Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, 74,113 73,872 73,944 65,509 66,033 64,976 8,604 7,839 8,968 11.6 % 10.6 % 12.1 %
New Bedford 88,011 87,442 86,727 75,948 77,374 74,177 12,063 10,068 12,550 13.7 % 11.5 % 14.5 %
Pittsfield 39,570 39,471 39,140 35,904 36,249 35,439 3,666 3,222 3,701 9.3 % 8.2 % 9.5 %
Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA 152,181 151,191 151,844 132,874 134,935 130,729 19,307 16,256 21,115 12.7 % 10.8 % 13.9 %
Springfield, MA-CT 347,539 349,900 346,627 311,642 318,289 309,387 35,897 31,611 37,240 10.3 % 9.0 % 10.7 %
Worcester, MA-CT 297,730 297,215 296,462 269,854 271,904 266,646 27,876 25,311 29,816 9.4 % 8.5 % 10.1 %
Micropolitian Statisical Areas                        
Amherst
Center, MA
23,037 25,815 22,991 21,616 24,454 21,605 1,421 1,361 1,386 6.2 % 5.3 % 6.0 %
Athol 10,624 10,505 10,624 9,422 9,419 9,303 1,202 1,086 1,321 11.3 % 10.3 % 12.4 %
Greenfield 22,122 22,199 22,096 20,150 20,426 19,941 1,972 1,773 2,155 8.9 % 8.0 % 9.8 %
North Adams, MA-VT 17,580 17,645 17,498 15,736 16,023 15,584 1,844 1,622 1,914 10.5 % 9.2 % 10.9 %
Other Labor Market Areass                        
Great
Barrington,
MA LMA
16,762 16,822 16,651 15,461 15,712 15,272 1,301 1,110 1,379 7.8 % 6.6 % 8.3 %
Nantucket County/town LMA 5,984 6,737 5,888 5,076 6,078 4,962 908 659 926 15.2 % 9.8 % 15.7 %
Tisbury, LMA 9,535 10,030 9,520 8,280 9,012 8,306 1,255 1,018 1,214 13.2 % 10.1 % 12.8 %




 

Tags: unemployment      

Pittsfield Workers To Upgrade Nuclear Missiles

Andy McKeever

 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Guidance systems for nuclear missiles deployed on new and old Navy submarines will come from the hands of local workers.

Nearly 300 employees of local defense contractors received  job security with a $494 million government contract released in December to modernize the country's Trident II missiles' guidance systems.
 
"Work on the MK 6 guidance system operations contract is performed in Pittsfield by 244 General Dynamic employees, 32 Raytheon Company employees and eight Draper Laboratory employees. This award is a continuation of our existing work and will sustain current employment levels over the next three years," said Kathleen Granchelli, direct of media relations and communications at Draper, in an e-mail. That information was provided by General Dynamics, she said.
 
The Department of Defense announced the contract last month to Cambridge-based Draper Laboratories to build guidance systems for the missiles deployed on Ohio-class submarines. Local employees at General Dynamics, Raytheon and Draper will be responsible for 11 percent of the project.
 
The system is an inertial guidance that sends steering commands to the missile during launch. Pittsfield's contingent will be providing technical engineering. 
 
"Draper and its subcontractors' current efforts are to the ensure that the MK 6 can reliably operate its critical function through the year 2042. This includes replacing 1980s electronics with new technology," Granchelli said. 
 
The system is for Trident II missiles that were developed in the late 1980s with a long-range and highly precise guidance system that allows for first-strike capability. The missile is considered one of the most important part of the country's nuclear arsenal.
 
The $494 million is a base contract with unexercised options that can be funded annually. 
 
Draper is a nonprofit organization that provides research and development for multiple government agencies including NASA, the Air Force and the Navy. The laboratory has a satellite location on Merrill Road.
Tags: Pittsfield, defense      

State Continues Job Gains

Staff Reports

BOSTON — The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported that unemployment rates were lower in June than in May in 17 of the commonwealth's 22 labor-market areas. Unemployment rates were unchanged in the Springfield and North Adams areas and up in the remaining three areas.

Statewide, the June seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent, from May's rate of 9.1 percent. Over the year, the unadjusted unemployment rate is up 0.1 percent from the 8.7 percent rate in June 2009. The Pittsfield metro area saw its rate drop to 8.5 percent.

Job gains were recorded in 10 of the 12 occupational areas in June. In addition, all labor markets added jobs in construction, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation and utilities. The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy and Barnstable areas added the most jobs over the month. Over the year, the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy; Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton; Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury and New Bedford areas gained jobs.

Over the year, unemployment rates were lower in six areas in which their rates were also lower over-the-month. Rates were up over the year in the remaining 16 labor-market areas.

The seasonally adjusted statewide June 2010 unemployment rate, released on July 14, was 9 percent, down from the 9.2 percent in May. The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate for June 2010, also released on July 14, showed a gain of 500 jobs over the month. There have been six straight months of private-sector job growth, a total of 44,700 jobs added since December and 3,400 private-sector jobs created just in June.

The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.

NOTES: The July 2010 unemployment rate, labor force data and jobs estimates for Massachusetts will be released on Aug. 19, 2010; local unemployment statistics will be released on Aug. 24, 2010. Detailed labor market information is available at www.mass.gov/lmi.

Tags: statistics      

Berkshire CountyJobless Rate Drops

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire County is doing slightly better than the statewide average in keeping people working, according to May statistics released by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

May's jobless rate for the county was 8.6 percent (not seasonally adjusted), compared to the statewide 9.2 percent and full percentage point below the national rate.

The Pittsfield Metropolitan area added 200 jobs in the past month, from 34,900 in April to 35,100 in May. The metropolitan area had a jobless rate of 8.9 percent, down from 9.3 percent in April. It had a 7.8 percent rate in May 2009.

Separately, Pittsfield's jobless rate is 9.7, nearly 5 points higher than the state rate. Of the city's labor force of 23,075, some 2,246 are receiving unemployment benefits.

Tiny Florida continued with the highest jobless rate of 11.7 percent; the lowest was Mount Washington with 2.1.

North Adams' jobless rate remains high at 10.4 percent, representing some 758 people out of work. Adams was higher at 11.2 percent, or about 500 out of work. The Great Barrington Labor Market Area, covering much of South County, had a jobless rate of 6.8 percent in May, down from 7.6 percent in April; a year ago, the rate was 6.1 percent.

Still, the unemployment rate for Berkshire County has dropped significantly since March's 9.6 percent and the state has added jobs for four consecutive months. The jobless rate dropped in 11 of the state's 22 labor market areas.

The June 2010 unemployment rate, labor force data and jobs estimates for Massachusetts will be released on July 15, 2010; local unemployment statistics will be released on July 20, 2010. Detailed labor market information is available at www.mass.gov/lmi.

Tags: County, unemployment, statistics      

State Jobless Rate Down; Berkshire County's Up

Staff Reports

BOSTON — Unemployment has dropped statewide by nearly a point since February, from 10.0 to 9.3. Berkshire County's rate is slightly above the state average at 9.6 percent, up from 8 percent in December. These rates are not seasonally adjusted.

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported that unemployment rates were lower in March than February in all of the commonwealth's 22 labor market areas. Twenty of the labor market areas also had lower unemployment rates in February than in January.

The Pittsfield Metropolitan Area, which includes a few neighboring North County towns, posted a jobless rate of 9.8; with a workforce of 38,895, some 3,809 are still out of work. North County continues to flag behind with a jobless rate of 10.4 percent; some 1,850 of its workforce of 17,729 are unemployed.

Over the year, the unadjusted unemployment rate is up 1.1 percent from the 8.2 percent rate in March 2009.

Job gains were recorded in all of the 12 labor areas in March, with Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area added the most jobs over the month. Over the year, the Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury and Barnstable areas gained jobs, the remaining 10 areas lost jobs. Over the year, unemployment rates were up in all of the labor market areas for which rates are published.

The seasonally adjusted statewide March 2010 unemployment rate of 9.3 percent, released on April 15, was down from the 9.5 percent rate in February 2010. The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate for March 2010, also released on April 15th, showed a gain of 7,600 jobs over the month.

The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.

NOTES: The 2009 rates have been revised with this release. Detailed labor market information is available at www.mass.gov/lmi. See the Revised March, 2010 Media Advisory annual schedule for complete listing of release dates.

Berkshire County WIA  
   Time Frame:  March 2010 
   Not Seasonally Adjusted Data 

 Area  Labor Force  Employed  Unemployed  Area Rate
 Berkshire County WIA  72,604    65,606    6,998    9.6  

 

 City or Town   Labor Force  Employed  Unemployed  Rate
 Adams  4,572    4,030    542    11.9  
 Alford  225    210    15    6.7  
 Becket  1,044    930    114    10.9  
 Cheshire  1,969    1,749    220    11.2  
 Clarksburg  947    856    91    9.6  
 Dalton  3,760    3,446    314    8.4  
 Egremont  831    783    48    5.8  
 Florida  416    368    48    11.5  
 Great Barrington  4,328    3,954    374    8.6  
 Hancock  622    596    26    4.2  
 Hinsdale  1,179    1,016    163    13.8  
 Lanesborough  1,800    1,620    180    10.0  
 Lee  3,676    3,328    348    9.5  
 Lenox  2,699    2,474    225    8.3  
 Monterey  576    543    33    5.7  
 Mount Washington  94    91    3    3.2  
 New Ashford  155    146    9    5.8  
 New Marlborough  923    821    102    11.1  
 North Adams  7,371    6,528    843    11.4  
 Otis  853    770    83    9.7  
 Peru  474    451    23    4.9  
 Pittsfield  22,955    20,623    2,332    10.2  
 Richmond  940    895    45    4.8  
 Sandisfield  511    454    57    11.2  
 Savoy  451    380    71    15.7  
 Sheffield  2,014    1,853    161    8.0  
 Stockbridge  1,327    1,241    86    6.5  
 Tyringham  250    232    18    7.2  
 Washington  337    298    39    11.6  
 West Stockbridge  862    794    68    7.9  
 Williamstown  3,931    3,664    267    6.8  
 Windsor  512    462    50    9.8  
Tags: County, unemployment, statistics      
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