| The state’s total unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent in September, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced this week.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ preliminary job estimates indicate Massachusetts added 9,300 jobs in September. Over the month, the private sector added 8,600 jobs as gains occurred in education and health services; construction; leisure and hospitality; trade, transportation, utilities; and manufacturing. The August estimate was revised to a gain of 8,000 jobs.
From September 2016 to September 2017, BLS estimates Massachusetts has added 62,300 jobs.
The September unemployment rate was three-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate of 4.2 percent reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The labor force decreased by 10,800 from 3,680,500 in August, as 900 more residents were employed and 11,700 fewer residents were 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 – decreased three-tenths of a percentage point to 65.8 percent over the month. The labor force participation rate over the year has increased 1.0 percent compared to September 2016.
The largest gain was in the construction industry, which added 2,700 jobs over the past month. Over the year, the industry has added 6,200 jobs, which is 4.3 percent more than last year.
