Andover Unemployment Rate Spiked in June

Andover reflects the statewide trend of adding jobs in June but also seeing its unemployment rate rise. And in Andover, it rose more sharply than in many other communities.

The Office of Labor and Workforce Development reports that
Massachusetts added 2,800 jobs in June, yet the total seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 6.6 percent to 7 percent. Even with the workforce increase, the number of unemployed made the unemployment rate jump up.

Locally, the rate -- not yet seasonally adjusted -- was 6 percent in June, up from 5.2 percent in May and 5.5 percent in June 2012.

To see the picture more clearly, let's look at the numbers.

• Labor force was 17,199 in June of this year, up from 16,946 in May. Labor force was 17,012 in June 2012. So the number of people in the labor force in Andover was higher in June than in May (and almost equal to the number in the labor force in June of last year).

• Employment was 16,168 in June in Andover, up just slightly from 16,060 in May and 16,075 in June 2012.

• But the number of unemployed people in Andover was 1,031 in June, up sharply from 886 in May and 937 in June 2012.
  
  

• Financial services -- a big industry in the Andovers -- added just 300 jobs from May to June and actually lost 700 jobs since June of 2012.

• The combined professional, scientific and business services sector -- another big sector of employment for  the Andovers -- lost 1,900 jobs from May to June, which chipped away at the 12,200 jobs added in that sector since June 2012.

• Leisure and Hospitality -- a key sector in Andover with its many restaurants and hotels -- saw a modest increase in jobs statewide since last June (0.2 percent), certainly nothing to write home about and nothing that could offset slumps seen in other sectors.