Overall unemployment rate moved down to 5.4% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which lost 2,000 roles, based on the most recently available information published in November 2021.

Total employment in the Worcester, MA-CT market declined by 3,870 jobs in September and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 30 bps to 5.4%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 72 bps over the same time to 4.6%.

  • Worcester, MA-CT unemployment rate is 84 bps above the national rate which is a negative sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 320 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in September versus prior month by 4.7% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Worcester, MA-CT Unemployment September 2021

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -0.4%. Key sectors include:

  • Education & Healthcare: 65,700; +1,000
  • Transportation & Utilities: 52,100; -200
  • Government: 41,600; +1,500
  • Business Services: 28,300; -100
  • Manufacturing: 26,300; -100
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 22,400; -2,000
  • Financial Services: 13,600; -200
  • Construction, Mining: 11,900; -600
  • Other Jobs: 8,800; -400
  • IT & Development: 2,800; -100
Worcester, MA-CT Unemployment by Industry September 2021

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through September 2021 (Data published November 2021 and reports created on November 3, 2021).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.