October 16, 2008 4:14 PM

Mass. unemployment grows
Posted by Jesse Nunesat 4:14 PM

The following story is from the Boston.com Business News Updates blog

By Robert Gavin, Globe Staff

Massachusetts employers cut nearly 4,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate rose another tenth point to 5.3 percent, the state Department of Workforce Development reported.

While only the third monthly employment decline in the past year, the job losses are another sign that the global financial crisis and national economic downturn are hitting the state.

Financial services led September job losses, shedding 1,200 jobs, and education and health services lost 1,100. Construction shed 1,000 jobs; manufacturing lost 600, and professional and business services lost 500.

Employment in consumer sectors continued to decline. Retailers shed 1,200 and leisure and hospitality, which includes hotels, restaurants, and entertainment, lost 800 jobs. Government, information, which includes software makers, and trade, transportation and utilities, were among the only major sectors to gain jobs.

The state unemployment rate remains below the national rate of 6.1 percent, but as risen more than a point since April.