Massachusetts employment delivers great options in everything from biotech to beaches. The state prides itself on having some of the top universities in the nation including Harvard and M.I.T., and Massachusetts employment reflects that emphasis: jobs in technology and biotech, health care, finance, and education abound, keeping the unemployment rate consistently below the national average. At the same time, Massachusetts employment in tourism remains strong in many regions, driven by the rich historical sites in the city of Boston, the spectacular sandy beaches on Cape Cod, and the Berkshire mountains that provide a popular summer escape for city dwellers.
Massachusetts unemployment
Massachusetts unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) increased from October 2008 to October 2009 by 3.1% to a rate of 8.9%
[Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
Massachusetts Employment Opportunities
While the current (June 2009) U.S. national employment rate hovers around 9.5 percent (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), Massachusetts unemployment hovers just above 8 percent, driven partly by the consistent demands of the government, health care and education industries, each of which has shown a decline of less than 2 percent over the past year. The most in-demand jobs are in the health care, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries, where innovation and the increasing health care needs of the aging “baby boomer” population are keeping demand high. Massachusetts has some of the top national research hospitals and is currently the only state that mandates that all its residents have health insurance, which also keeps the health care industry strong. Education opportunities are also consistent because of the sheer number of local colleges. (In fact, Boston, Massachusetts graduates more college students per capita than any other U.S. city.)
In addition, Massachusetts employment is expected to be strong in “green” jobs in areas like alternative energy because of increasing demand for alternative fuels and the strong “tech” employment base. Computing, which has traditionally been a strong part of the Boston-area economy, has shown a shift over recent decades from microprocessor production to smaller start-ups. Massachusetts employment in government jobs has also shown growth over the past few years, and the service sector is expected to continue to grow, as tourism to Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard continues to bring money into the Massachusetts economy.
Weaker areas for Massachusetts employment include construction, which has seen more than a 15 percent drop recently because of the declining real estate industry and the resulting drop in new home construction. The traditionally strong finance industry has also taken a hit because of bank failures and the decline in the stock market, but some financial jobs remain strong in areas including management and customer service. While construction and finance are likely to revive with a stronger economy, the fishing and agricultural production of cranberries, dairy, and other products is expected to continue to have a declining role in the state economy.
Massachusetts Employment Resources
There are numerous resources that can guide a job-seeker looking for Massachusetts employment. Many government jobs are listed through the human resources division of the state website (www.mass.gov/hrd). The Boston Globe newspaper regularly publishes job listings and also has an online edition (www.boston.com/bostonglobe/). A range of jobs in areas from finance to biotech can be located through general employment websites like www.careerfinder.com and www.monster.com, or through Massachusetts-specific websites like www.jobsinma.com and www.centralmassreb.org. If you are seeking a job in Massachusetts, you may also want to consider searching university job listings directly. Many of the major employers around Boston are schools, including Boston University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The same is true for the biggest biotechnology firms, like Genzyme and Biogen, which also post job listings directly on their corporate websites.
Massachusetts Living Conditions
Living conditions in Massachusetts are marked by a mix of wonderful cultural and natural resources combined with a higher than average cost of living. Massachusetts offers a range of options for urban and suburban living around its primary hub of Boston. Most state residents will find access to wonderful sandy beaches and beautiful mountains within a two or three hour drive. Health care is top notch, with easy access to some of the nation’s best research hospitals. Public schools are also better than the national average, with a high per pupil expenditure and a highly educated teaching force. Boston itself provides an array of world class theater, music, and museums.
On the other hand, the climate of Massachusetts shows the same extremes that are common to the northeast United States: hot summers with average temperatures ranging up into the 90s Fahrenheit, and cold, snowy winters with temperatures dropping well below freezing. Boston can be a costly place to live, as well. Real estate prices around Boston are some of the highest in the nation, and real estate taxes rank 6th in the country, according to Money Magazine. The state income tax of 5.3 percent is higher than average, and there is a 5 percent sales tax as well. Smaller cities in Massachusetts such as Worcester and Springfield provide a somewhat lower cost of living, but also suffer from higher rates of poverty and unemployment.
Massachusetts Employment
Massachusetts employment (especially around Boston) tends to reward those with advanced degrees, partly because the economy is driven so strongly by health care, education, and the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Job seekers can expect to compete against a crop of new college graduates each year, along with a pool of talented international applicants in fields like computer programming. On the other hand, many of the industries that drive the state economy (such as health care) are expected to do very well over the next decade. However, job seekers in industries like real estate and construction may want to postpone seeking Massachusetts employment until the general economy improves, as high state taxes and a high cost of living are likely to continue to be the norm.
