BOSTON - August 21, 2007 --- The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced today that over the year job gains occurred in all 12 labor market areas in Massachusetts in July. The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area recorded the largest over the month job gain, up by 31,600 or 1.9 percent. Additional over the year job gains occurred in the New Bedford and Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton labor market areas. The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate inched up from 5.0 percent in June to 5.2 percent in July.

Over the month, two of the 12 areas posted seasonal job gains with Barnstable adding 5,500 jobs and Pittsfield adding 700 jobs. Ten areas recorded seasonal over the month losses.

Unemployment rates were down in the Barnstable, Pittsfield, Tisbury, Nantucket and Great Barrington areas, which posted lower seasonal rates in July 2007 than in June 2007.  The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA-NH, Framingham and Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury MA-NH were unchanged, while 14 areas posted higher over the month rate increases. Over the year, the unadjusted unemployment rate is unchanged at 5.2 percent.

Over the year, 16 labor market areas recorded higher unemployment rates, three area rates were unchanged. The Peabody, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy and Amherst areas posted slightly lower rates.

The statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate released last week was 5.1 percent, up from 4.9 percent in June 2007, which is up slightly from the 5.0 percent rate one year ago.

NOTES: The August 2007 unemployment rate, labor force data and survey of jobs for Massachusetts will be released on September 20, 2007. August 2007 local unemployment statistics will be released on September 25, 2007. Detailed labor market information is available at www.mass.gov/eolwd.

With the release of the April 2007 estimates, the historical sub-state Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) series for 2000 through 2005 have been revised. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Metropolitan New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs) must have an urbanized area population of 50,000 or more, while a Micropolitan NECTA must have an urban cluster population of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000. A NECTA containing a single core with a population of at least 2.5 million may be subdivided to smaller groupings of cities and towns referred to as NECTA Divisions.