Mass. Adds 6,600 Jobs; Rate Holds At 6.9 Percent

Massachusetts employers added 6,600 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate held steady at 6.9 percent, according to the latest report from the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The most active hiring sector was professional, scientific and business services, which added 3,500 new jobs. Financial services and hotels and restaurants added jobs, too.

Stephen Andrews, a senior vice president at Sovereign Bank, says the job market is getting better, especially for younger workers.

"Kids today are used to doing things in soundbites," Andrews said. "'I’ll do this for two years and then move on.' And they’re very adaptable. Where we grew up in an environment where you were locked for life, so when that gravy train ends, if you will," it’s harder for them to make the transition. So Andrews expects job gains to be slow, if steady.

The national jobless rate is 8.3 percent.