BOSTON - Tuesday, August 19, 2008 --- The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported today that preliminary estimates show lower unemployment rates over the month in 11 of 22 Massachusetts labor market areas.  Strong seasonal hiring resulted in the largest unemployment rate declines in the Barnstable, Pittsfield, Tisbury and Nantucket labor market areas. Four other areas saw unemployment rates remaining unchanged in July and seven others recorded rate increases.

Estimates show job gains over the month were recorded in the Barnstable labor market area which added 4,500 jobs and the Pittsfield labor market area, which added 300 jobs.  With schools closed for the summer and some businesses experiencing summer plant shutdowns, seasonal jobs declines occurred in the remaining ten of the twelve labor areas for which job estimates are produced. The job estimates for the labor market areas are not adjusted for seasonality and may show some differences from the seasonally adjusted job estimates and unemployment rate released last week.

Over- the- year job gains were seen in the Framingham, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton and Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner* areas, with the Framingham labor market area recording the largest annual rate of growth. Job levels were unchanged in the Peabody labor market area. Job levels were off in the remaining labor areas, with the Springfield labor market area seeing the largest job declines over the year.

Statewide, the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate edged down to 5.2 percent in July from 5.3 percent in June. Mirroring state and larger national trends, this rate is up from 4.7 percent one year ago. All 22 labor market areas recorded higher unemployment rates in July 2008 than in July 2007.

The statewide seasonally adjusted July 2008 unemployment rate edged down in July to 5.1 percent from 5.2 percent in June. Job estimates show Massachusetts continues to gain jobs over the year while during the same time the national economy shed jobs. However, in July, strong job gains in education and health services did not offset job declines in other sectors.

NOTES: The August 2008 unemployment rate, labor force data and survey of jobs for Massachusetts will be released on September 18, 2008, local unemployment statistics will be released on September 23, 2008. Detailed labor market information is available at www.mass.gov/lmi.

*With the release of the January 2008 estimates, the data for the Pittsfield and Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner NECTA areas are no longer validated by US DOL BLS and the historical sub-state Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) series for 2007 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.