The Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development released the November 2020 employment figures as outlined below:
- The Berkshire County rate is 6.6% with 60,185 in the labor force, 56,237 employed, and 3,948 unemployed. Massachusetts is 6.2% with a labor participation rate of 63.1% National rate is 6.7% with labor participation rate of 61.5%
- Click here for a rates for the 32 Berkshire Communities UI Berk Nov 20
- These figures do not include Pandemic Unemployment figures
- Pittsfield’s Metro Labor market area rate is 6.9%; North Adams Micro rate is 7.3%; and Gt. Barrington’s LMA is 4.6%
- Pittsfield’s Metro area recorded a 3% job gain (12 out of 15 regions had gains)
- City of Pittsfield rate is 7.9% (down from 8.3% in Oct) with 19,798 in labor force; 18,232 employed and 1,566 unemployed
- City of North Adams rate is 7.1% (down from 8.1% in Oct) with 5,731 in labor force; 5,323 employed and 408 unemployed
- Job Quest has 1,900 job postings in the Berkshires for a wide variety of employment sectors
- MassHire Berkshire Career Center remains open virtually for services and has assisted 1,641 people in FY21.
- Berkshire Workforce Board has assisted 168 companies since July; and 604 since March
- Rapid Response is working with 11 companies
- Berkshire Workforce Board has healthcare and manufacturing grants to upskill/retool job seekers to help find employment. Our concern remains that many unemployed residents are afraid to return to work and/or have childcare and elder care concerns preventing them from returning. Hopefully the vaccine will help with these concerns.
- Berkshire County’s 13-month stats are listed below.
Month | Year | Labor Force | Employed | Unemployed | Area Rate | Massachusetts Rate |
November | 2020 | 60,185 | 56,237 | 3,948 | 6.6 | 6.2 |
October | 2020 | 61,159 | 56,945 | 4,214 | 6.9 | 6.9 |
September | 2020 | 64,042 | 58,067 | 5,975 | 9.3 | 9.7 |
August | 2020 | 61,685 | 54,926 | 6,759 | 11.0 | 11.2 |
July | 2020 | 64,712 | 54,387 | 10,325 | 16.0 | 16.3 |
June | 2020 | 63,963 | 53,387 | 10,576 | 16.5 | 17.8 |
May | 2020 | 59,762 | 50,301 | 9,461 | 15.8 | 16.5 |
April | 2020 | 57,684 | 48,028 | 9,656 | 16.7 | 16.0 |
March | 2020 | 62,705 | 60,273 | 2,432 | 3.9 | 3.0 |
February | 2020 | 64,344 | 61,568 | 2,776 | 4.3 | 3.3 |
January | 2020 | 64,661 | 61,830 | 2,831 | 4.4 | 3.4 |
December | 2019 | 65,063 | 63,043 | 2,020 | 3.1 | 2.4 |
November | 2019 | 64,189 | 62,416 | 1,773 | 2.7 | 2.3 |