BOSTON - Tuesday, September 22, 2009 --- The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported that the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Peabody, Pittsfield, Worcester, Amherst and North Adams labor areas recorded lower unemployment rates in August than in July.  The Amherst area posted the largest over the month rate decline with the return of schools, colleges and universities. Unemployment rates, which are not adjusted for seasonality, were unchanged over the month in seven areas. Three of the remaining areas which posted higher rates recorded rate increases of one-tenth of a percentage point. Statewide, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate of 8.9 percent for August was unchanged from July.

In August, the Peabody area added 500 jobs. The other eleven of the Commonwealth's twelve areas for which unadjusted job estimates were published lost jobs.  Over the year, all of the labor areas recorded increases in unemployment rates and job losses.

The statewide seasonally adjusted August 2009 unemployment rate, released last week, increased from 8.8 percent in July to 9.1 percent in August. Statewide, the seasonally adjusted jobs estimate for August showed 400 job losses over the month. The unadjusted unemployment rates and jobs estimates for the labor markets may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.

NOTES: The September 2009 unemployment rate, labor force data and survey of jobs for Massachusetts will be released on October 15, 2009; local unemployment statistics will be released on October 20, 2009. Detailed labor market information is available at www.mass.gov/lmi.

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.