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.
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.
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.
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
Christine Hoyt of the Berkshire Chamber, right, speaks with Linda M. Alfonso, left, a consultant with BeautiControl and others after Alfonso provided a sample hand massage.
About 250 people attended the job fair sponsored by the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce at the Berkshire Hills Country Club in Pittsfield on Thursday. That figure was lower than last year — during the depths of the recession — but the good news was that the number of employers and employment resource services was up.
Christine Hoyt, the chamber's director of programs and events, said the turnout was good on both sides. "We had more than 40 employers, a little more than last year," she said. "Employers were satisfied with the good quality of the job seekers."
The excellent weather, along with the economy's slow emergence from the financial crisis, may have played a factor in the about average attendance, said Hoyt.
Employers ranging from LTI Smartglass, Interprint, Williams College and Norman Rockwell were on hand offering opportunities for the right candidates. iBerkshires' sister site, BerkshireJobs.com, also had a booth.
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.
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.
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.
About 250 people attended the job fair sponsored by the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce at the Berkshire Hills Country Club in Pittsfield on Thursday. That figure was lower than last year — during the depths of the recession — but the good news was that the number of employers and employment resource services was up.
