Massachusetts Gains 55,200 Jobs in 2013, Most Since 2000

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gov. Deval Patrick says the state has created the most jobs in a single year since 2000.

Patrick released the final 2013 employment numbers Thursday morning, saying the state added 55,200 jobs.

Previously, Massachusetts grew 49,000 jobs in 2012 and in 2011, 43,000.

"It demonstrates that our strategy of investing in innovation, education and infrastructure is working," Patrick said in a conference call.

He added that the sales of single-family homes is rising and the state "leads the nation in capital investment and competitiveness."

"Companies continue to relocate to Massachusetts and we continue to do so," he said.

Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki, who joined the conference call from Pittsfield, singled out the "middle skills" jobs as a particular growth. Those jobs are for those between minimum wage and four-year college degrees.



"We're actually seeing some nice results and opportunities in middle skills jobs," he said, adding that the jobs are "middle class" and tend to be in manufacturing, health care and life science.

Bialecki was attending a manufacturers' roundtable at Berkshire Community College.

Overall, the state has grown more jobs than were lost during the recession. According to Rachel Kaprielian, secretary of labor and workforce development, the state has 61,700 more jobs than the "high water mark" before the recession and 195,000 more than the "low water mark" during it.

"We are moving beyond a simple recovery," Bialecki said. "Massachusetts regained all of its lost jobs a little more than a year ago."

The state's unemployment rate is still at 6.8 percent but Bialecki says if the state continues to add jobs at this rate he is "confident" that those numbers will decline.

"We have to keep adding jobs and driving down the rate," he said.


Tags: employment,   jobs,   unemployment,   

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Simon's Rock Awarded Freedom to Read Grant

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Bard College at Simon's Rock was awarded a Freedom to Read Grant by the Newburger Schwartz Family Foundation. 
 
The grant was awarded to support the Alumni Library and Bard Queer Leadership Project in building a more robust collection of queer scholarship, starting a Queer Book Club, and hosting Drag Story Time events in partnership with Drag Story Hour of the Berkshires.
 
According to a press release:
 
In response to current educational threats with book bans affecting schools and libraries across the country and further proposed legislation against LGBTQ+ people's access to basic rights and education, Simon's Rock is actively seeking to create inclusive and equitable spaces for queer individuals. 
 
The Bard Queer Leadership Project and Alumni Library will utilize the grant funding to expand the library's current collection of queer books in order to fully enable the longevity of the Queer Book Club and the Bard Queer Leadership Project. The Queer Book Club will be an intergenerational space, open to local middle school students through rainbow seniors and will partner with local community organizations, to discuss queer books and learn about LGBTQ+ issues and experiences. Bard Queer Leadership Project students will eventually help lead this initiative as part of their leadership project training. 
 
The Queer Book Club will host their first meeting on April 6 at 3:00 p.m. at the Alumni Library, with following meetings on April 27 and May 11. This semester, the selected books are "Obie is Man Enough" and "He/She/They," both by Schuyler Bailar, inspirational speaker and first openly transgender NCAA Division swimmer, who was a guest speaker in the inaugural Queer Leaders Vision Forum in fall 2023 at Simon's Rock. Schuyler Bailar will return to campus for a book signing and pool party at the Kilpatrick Athletic Center on April 19 at 7:00 p.m. Participants in the Queer Book Club will receive a free copy of either book of their choice. 
 
The first Drag Story Time will be on Saturday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. at the Simon's Rock Alumni Library and is open to all LGBTQ+ affirming individuals. The event is in partnership with Drag Story Hour of the Berkshires with local drag queens JV and Poppy DaBubbly. The second Drag Story Time will be Saturday, April 27 with drag queen Poppy DaBubbly and drag king Sativo Green.
 
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