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Mass. Unemployment Falls To 9 Percent

The Massachusetts unemployment rate fell to 9 percent in June, according to figures released by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development Wednesday.

The state's unemployment rate was 9.2 percent in May.

The private sector gained 3,400 jobs in June while, as expected, the public sector lost 2,900 jobs — due mostly to the winding down of temporary Census 2010 positions.

It is the sixth consecutive month of private-sector job gains in Massachusetts. Labor Secretary Joanne Goldstein says private-sector gains are fueling Massachusetts' economic recovery.

"Leisure and hospitality is certainly going to be a sector that continues to increase," Goldstein said. "Construction — there's a lot of construction going on now — and we think businesses are willing to take risks and start new construction.

"The job growth has been spread out among many sectors of the economy, which is obviously a good indicator."

One sector that took a big hit was education and health services, which lost 6,100 jobs in the month.

This program aired on July 14, 2010. The audio for this program is not available.

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