Mass. Economy Growing Faster Than Natl. Average, But Still Vulnerable

A new economic study finds Massachusetts' economic recovery vulnerable to national trends, even though the commonwealth is recovering faster than the rest of the country.

The analysis, from the University of Massachusetts, finds the state's employment has expanded at the fastest rate in decades — fueled in part by higher demand for technology products.

But it says the struggling national economy threatens to undermine that demand.

Northeastern University economist Alan Clayton-Matthews says that over the last six months, payroll employment grew nearly 4 percent in Massachusetts, compared to 1 percent nationally.

"We can't sustain that rate of employment growth here, largely because the rest of the country is growing much much more weakly," he says.