The song remains the same for the Massachusetts job market.<\/p>\n
The unemployment rate was stuck at 4.8 percent in August for the fourth straight month, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data<\/a> released Friday. Employers shed jobs, resuming a decline that has left payrolls slightly below this year\u2019s peak in May.<\/p>\n \u201cThe good news this month is that the Massachusetts labor market shows signs of continued stability, even as the national economic picture worsens,\u201d Mark Rembert, chief economist at the state\u2019s Department of Economic Research, said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cEmployment is stable, but job growth has slowed . . . This combination continues to create a challenging environment for job seekers.\u201d<\/p>\n The state\u2019s jobless rate was half a percentage point above the national average last month. Job growth here, as measured by the BLS\u2019s monthly survey of employers, has lagged behind the rest of the country all year.<\/p>\n But there is a bright spot: The agency\u2019s separate survey of households shows the number of people reporting that they are employed is up by 20,000 this year. That likely reflects gains by self-employed workers, such as contractors, who are not captured by the employer survey.<\/p>\n Employers trimmed 3,800 jobs in August, led by construction (down 2,600) and private education and health services (down 2,500). They added 1,000 jobs in professional and business services and 900 jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities.<\/p>\n