Mass. Unemployment Climbs Even As State Adds Jobs

Massachusetts employers added about 58,000 jobs in May after a dramatic decline in April, but the unemployment rate increased over the same span to a record 16.3%, federal labor officials announced Friday.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Massachusetts set a new record in state history with a 16.3% unemployment rate, higher than the 15.1% reported last month. That put the Bay State in the minority: 38 other states saw their unemployment rates decrease in May.

Total non-farm employment, calculated through a different program than the unemployment rate, increased in Massachusetts to about 3.08 million last month, federal officials said.