July 20, 2006 1:37 PM

State adds 4,400 jobs; more now working than when Romney took office
Posted by Douglas Eisenhartat 1:37 PM

From the Boston Globe's daily Business Ticker on Boston.com, this welcome news:

Massachusetts employers added 4,400 jobs last month, finally erasing the so-called "jobs deficit" of Governor Mitt Romney. The state unemployment rate held steady at 5 percent.

It took nearly four years, but Massachusetts now has more payroll jobs -- 700 -- than when Romney took office in January 2003, according to data reported by the Department of Workforce Development. The state, however, still has 150,000 fewer jobs than at the pre-recession peak of early 2001.