Hiring shows signs of losing steam in Massachusetts, new jobs report shows – The Boston Globe

That’s about in line with the rest of the country, which saw a 0.3 percentage point uptick in the unemployment rate over the same period, said Boston College economics professor Brian Bethune.

“You can’t really dance on the head of the pin in terms of that difference,” he said.

Massachusetts has now shed jobs for the past three consecutive months, a possibly worrisome sign, although the state’s unemployment rate remains below the national rate of 4.1 percent.

The state lost 2,600 overall jobs in September, following August’s loss of 2,100 jobs, officials said. However, private sector jobs increased by 4,600 in September, preliminary estimates showed, with the largest monthly private-sector increases in education and health services, other services, and professional, scientific, and business services.

“Month to month to month, there’s a lot of volatility,” Bethune said, adding that the year-to-year numbers might paint a more representative picture.

Massachusetts currently has 3.74 million jobs, having gained 680,200 jobs since the pandemic’s employment low in April 2020. This past July, the state finally recovered the number of jobs lost during COVID-19, after 52 months.

Meanwhile, the state’s labor force participation rate — the number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and looked for work in the last four weeks — rose to its highest point since January 2020, reaching 66.4 percent, an increase of 1.4 percentage points from September 2023. An additional 2,700 residents were employed in September, compared to August, and 3,700 more residents became unemployed during that time.

“Because you’ve got more people entering in the labor force, the fact that the unemployment rate has not changed that much is a sign that the employment markets are relatively healthy,” Bethune said.

According to the release, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates Massachusetts gained 34,100 jobs in September, when compared to September 2023, with the largest private-sector gains this year being seen in education and health services, construction, and government.

Bethune said the report is “a good picture overall” but noted wage differentials between the industries gaining and losing jobs.

“The mix suggests that we might be losing some high-paying jobs in places like manufacturing, finance, information,” he said.

Governor Maura Healey’s administration trumpeted the latest report as showing “healthy growth” in the labor force, with nearly 100,000 more people looking for work and another 75,000 securing jobs in the past year.

“Massachusetts continues to see historically low unemployment and remains below the national average,” said Matthew Kitsos, spokesperson for the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

“The Healey-Driscoll Administration will continue to prioritize workforce development and partnerships with employers to connect skilled talent with employment opportunities and strengthen our economy,” he added.

Stella Tannenbaum can be reached at stella.tannenbaum@globe.com.