Mass Unemployment and Job Estimates for April 2024

BOSTON, MA — May 17, 2024 – The state's April total unemployment rate was 2.9 percent, unchanged from the revised March estimate of 2.9 percent, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced Friday.

The Massachusetts unemployment rate was 1.0 percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.9 percent reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over-the-year, the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was down by 0.3 percentage points.

The labor force increased by an estimated 12,200 from the revised estimate of 3,757,000 in March, with 10,100 residents more employed and 1,900 more residents unemployed over-the-month. The state's labor force participation rate – the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks – increased 0.2 percentage points over-the-month, to 65.1 percent. Compared to April 2023, the labor force participation rate was unchanged.

The BLS preliminary job estimates indicate Massachusetts lost 500 jobs in April. This follows March's revised loss of 4,100 jobs. The largest over-the-month private sector job gains were in Education and Health Services, Professional, Scientific, and Business Services, and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities. Employment now stands at 3,733,000. Massachusetts gained 669,500 jobs since the employment low in April 2020.

From April 2023 to April 2024, BLS estimates Massachusetts gained 21,800 jobs. The largest over-the-year gains occurred in Education and Health Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Government.

April 2024 Employment Overview

Education and Health Services gained 1,900 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 17,900 were added.

Professional, Scientific, and Business Services gained 800 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 5,500 were lost.

Trade, Transportation, and Utilities gained 600 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 2,100 were lost.

Construction gained 200 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 4,000 were added.

Government gained 200 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 5,100 were added.

Information lost 200 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 4,400 were lost.

Financial Activities lost 500 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 200 were added.

Manufacturing lost 600 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 3,500 were lost.

Other Services lost 900 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 3,300 were added.

Leisure and Hospitality lost 1,900 jobs over-the-month. Over-the-year, 6,800 were added.

Labor Force Overview

The April estimates show 3,659,900 Massachusetts residents were employed and 109,200 were unemployed, for a total labor force of 3,769,200. The unemployment rate at 2.9 percent was unchanged from the revised March rate of 2.9 percent. Over-the-month, the April labor force increased by 12,200 from 3,757,000 in March, with 10,100 more residents employed and 1,900 more residents unemployed. The labor force participation rate, the share of the working age population employed and unemployed, increased by 0.2 percentage points to 65.1 percent. The labor force was up 21,300 from the April 2023 estimate of 3,747,900 following the annual revision, with 33,600 more employed residents, and 12,400 fewer unemployed residents.

The unemployment rate is based on a monthly sample of households. The job estimates are derived from a monthly sample survey of employers. As a result, the two statistics may exhibit different monthly trends.

Pittsfield Says Goodbye to Wahconah Park Grandstand

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
07:45AM / Sunday, April 12, 2026

Mayor Peter Marchetti and 'Banjo Joe' Ryan lead a chorus of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' with a nod to the Pittsfield Suns. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people bid farewell to the Wahconah Park grandstand on Saturday with a round of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," hot dogs, and stories about the ballpark. 

"Sometimes you felt like you were at Fenway Park, but mostly it just felt like home," Parks Commissioner Clifford Nilan said. 

"How lucky the players were to be playing in this park, and how lucky we were to be able to watch." 

Wahconah Park's 75-year-old grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022, and planners have determined that starting from square one is the best option; a $15 million rebuild is on the table. Demolition is expected to begin soon, and the city planned the "Farewell to the Grandstand" event to celebrate its past and look forward to the future. 

The old grandstand also had to be redrafted when estimates for construction came in at more than $200,000. It would be built at about half the length of the wooden structure it replaced for a sum of $115,000.

"In the early 1900s, Wahconah Park went from concept on paper to construction. The grandstand was built between the 1949 and 1950 seasons. It was designed to seat about 2,000 fans. A few decades later, in 2005, Wahconah Park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places," Mayor Peter Marchetti said. 

"That longevity matters because it connects today's games, school events, and community gatherings to more than a century of shared memories." 

Marchetti and "Banjo Joe" Ryan led a verse of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," adding "Root, root, root for the Suns, if they don't win it's a shame." Pittsfield and its longtime summer collegiate baseball team, the Pittsfield Suns, have signed a negotiating rights agreement, solidifying that the two will work together when the historic ballpark is renovated. 

Artifacts of the ballpark were displayed in cases outside of the grandstand for the event, along with banners depicting the park's history and a roped-off area for community members to see the structure one last time.