Mass. jobless rate rises to 4.5%

Massachusetts added 900 new jobs in January, but the overall unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent.

The December 2007 unemployment rate was originally reported at 4.5 percent, but officials later revised the figure down to 4.3 percent.

The tiny job growth in January was caused mainly by gains in education and health services as well as in leisure and hospitality jobs.

The Massachusetts unemployment rate continues to outperform the national rate for the eighth month running. The US unemployment rate stands at 4.9 percent in January, down from 5.0 percent in December.
(AP)