Uptick In Massachusetts Unemployment Rate In December

The unemployment rate in Massachusetts rose a tenth of a point in December to 6.7 percent reflecting an economy that is still sluggish.

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The unemployment rate in Massachusetts has gone up slightly, or has  steady in each of the last six months. Over the last 12 months, the unemployment rate is down just two tenths of a percentage point, according to a report from state labor officials.  Kevin Lynn, business manager at the Future Works Career Center in Springfield said both job openings and hiring activity dropped in December.

The Massachusetts economy added  7500 jobs in December with education and health services seeing the largest gains, according to the state report.