Politics & Government
Massachusetts Unemployment Rate Falls to 6.8
Lowest rate in the Bay State since December 2008.

The Massachusetts unemployment rate dropped again in Dec. 2011, according to numbers released by Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development Thursday.
The rate dropped from 7 percent in November to 6.8 percent last month. The national rate is 8.5 percent.
State said the 6.8 rate is the lowest since December 2008.
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Four of the 10 private sector categories added jobs in December with gains in trade, transportation, and utilities; manufacturing; information and financial activities.
Between Dec. 2010 to Dec. 2011, 40,700 jobs were added in the Bay State, a growth rate of 1.3 percent, with 45,600 private sector jobs added for a growth rate of 1.7 percent.
Find out what's happening in Framinghamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In comparison, the national rate of job growth, over the same period, was 1.3 percent with private sector job growth up 1.8 percent.
Local unemployment statistics are scheduled to be released Tuesday, Jan. 24.
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