Massachusetts hiring heated back up in June, helping make up for a May dip that was worse than initially thought.
State employers added a net total of 8,400 jobs to their payrolls in June, with 5,900 more jobs in private education and health services leading the growth, according to data released Friday by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.4 percent — representing about 171,000 residents — from 4.5 percent in May. (The US unemployment rate stood at 4.2 percent in June.)
The number of jobs lost in May, meanwhile, was revised lower, to 4,100 jobs, compared to the preliminary estimate of 2,900 jobs shed. That retrenchment followed two months of robust hiring, with a combined 14,600 jobs added in March and April.
The state’s labor force participation rate, which measures the number of employed and unemployed people as a share of the total working-age population, dipped to 65.3 percent in June, down from 65.4 percent in May and 66.6 percent last June. It’s a trend driven by mounting retirements, state officials said. (The state’s labor force participation rate is still 3.8 percentage points higher than the national.)
Other Massachusetts sectors that saw growth in June were construction (3,700 jobs over the month), professional and business services (2,300 jobs), and manufacturing (400 jobs). The financial activities sector stood pat, as did mining and logging. Other sectors trimmed their ranks, with government, as well as leisure and hospitality, each losing 300 jobs, and trade, transportation, and utilities shedding 1,600 jobs.
Dana Gerber can be reached at dana.gerber@globe.com. Follow her @danagerber6.
