Massachusetts’ unemployment rate fell to 2.8% in May, nearly a point below the national rate, as the job market continues to hold up despite slower economic growth in recent months.
The unemployment rating released Friday morning was 0.3 percentage points below April’s revised rate of 3.1%. The April unemployment rate was originally reported last month at 3.3%.
The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development also cited estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday indicating that Massachusetts gained 5,700 jobs in May, on the heels of April’s revised gain of 5,900 jobs.
Massachusetts has gained 704,100 jobs since employment levels plummeted in April 2020 during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last year, the state has gained 105,100 jobs, according to the bureau’s estimates.
The national unemployment rate for May was 3.7%.
