Unemployment Drops in Braintree in August

Braintree's unemployment rate decreased from 6.4 percent in July to 5.9 percent in August, according to new information released by the state that shows the town's number is well below both the state and national average.

Overall in Massachusetts, according to a report released Tuesday by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, seasonally unadjusted unemployment dropped 0.4 percent to 6.8 percent last month.


The seasonally adjusted statewide August unemployment rate, released on September 19th, was 7.2 percent, unchanged from July and up 0.4 of a percentage point from the 6.8 percent rate posted for August 2012.

The national unemployment rate was 7.3 percent in August, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Braintree's unemployment rate has fluctuated throughout the year, but remained below the state and national average. It was at 6.1 percent in January 2013, dropped to 5.3 percent in April and rose to 6.6 percent in June.

In 2010, the town's rate hit a recent high of 7.8 percent.

Braintree's labor force has 19,549 people. Of those, 1,150 were unemployed in August.