BOSTON - Tuesday, December 23, 2008 --- The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported area unemployment rates, not adjusted for seasonality, were higher in all twenty-two of the Commonwealth's labor markets in November.  These rates are preliminary estimates and are subject to revision. The rates reflect stronger seasonal trends and less employment opportunities for those seeking work.

Statewide, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was at 5.5 percent for November, up from 5.0 percent in October. Over the year, the rates were up in all areas. The labor market area estimates for both the unemployment rates and jobs are not adjusted for seasonality and may show different trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.

The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Framingham and Peabody labor market areas recorded over the month job gains in November.  Jobs were unchanged in four of the twelve areas for which job estimates are published, while the remaining five areas posted job losses over the month.

Over the year, the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy and Framingham areas have added jobs.

The statewide seasonally adjusted November 2008 unemployment rate released last week rose to 5.9 percent from the 5.5 percent rate in October. Statewide the seasonally adjusted jobs estimate for November showed a loss over the month and over the year. The Massachusetts unemployment rate was eight tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate, which rose from 6.5 percent in October to 6.7 percent in November. The Massachusetts rate has been below the national rate each month since June 2007.

NOTES: The December 2008 unemployment rate, labor force data and survey of jobs for Massachusetts will be released on January 22, 2009, local unemployment statistics will be released on January 27, 2009. 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.