Monthly job numbers see change in tone under Healey

Dignity in retirement starts here. Secure Choice gives every worker a fair shot at financial security. You’ve already taken the lead, be leaders again. Reject the Governor's amendment. Implement Secure Choice. For more information visit: aarp.org/ma

Going as far back as at least 2018, officials under both Gov. Charlie Baker and Maura Healey typically published the monthly press release with a variation on the same flat subject line: "Massachusetts Unemployment and Job Estimates for [insert month here]."

But that changed in May, when Healey’s labor office shipped out the same monthly data dump with a more specific -- and editorialized -- headline: "Massachusetts Payroll Jobs Increase By 7,700 and Labor Force Grows for the 4th Consecutive Month."

It's part of a change that labor officials say they made to reach a larger audience, and to make data more digestible for employers, jobseekers, policymakers and the public.

They've also become more choosy about which data points to highlight up top. While both stats are built on federal estimates, the monthly unemployment rate and the estimate of total payroll jobs that traditionally anchor each press release come from two different survey sources, a fact that press secretaries have had to explain to reporters on more than one occasion.

In June, the Healey administration touted the fact that "Massachusetts Payroll Jobs Increase[d] for [the] 3rd Consecutive Month" -- pointing to the survey of employers. This past month, when that same survey of employers showed a decrease in payroll employment, the headline instead cited a growth in jobs numbers in the household survey that often had been used only to calculate the unemployment rate.

To be fair, the release's first sentence does note that "payroll jobs decreased by 1,900." But you'd need to read beyond the headline, and most likely would need to understand the wonky distinction, to fully grasp the mix-and-match approach.

A Healey labor office spokesman said the newly used figure includes self-employed people like contractors, some doctors and remote workers who may work for a company based outside Massachusetts. The payroll jobs number, the spokesman said, does not fully capture that part of the workforce.

The numbers, which are preliminary and change month to month, come from the federal government. Under an agreement with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, state officials are allowed to change the format, though they cannot publish their own numbers in lieu of the BLS ones.

Labor officials say they began weighing changes to the format last year, and looked at how other states handled it, such as Rhode Island, Vermont, and Texas. They stress all of the numbers still remain available in the release.

The changes also come as Healey gears up for a reelection campaign in 2026. One of the GOP candidates hoping to be her general election opponent accused Healey of “playing games.” “Rather than sticking to a consistent and transparent reporting format, they’ve shifted to cherry-picking data points,” said Mike Kennealy, who served as Baker’s economic development chief.

The other GOP contender, venture capitalist Brian Shortsleeve, said he skips the press release and goes straight to the current employment statistics -- one of the two key surveys. “I look at the core data, not the press release,” he said.

What’s your take on the new format? Do you love it, hate it or did you not notice? Let me know: [email protected].

MASSterList Job Board
Comptroller — NEW!, Town of Amherst
Executive Editor – Northeastern Global News, Northeastern University
City Clerk/Clerk of the Council, City of Newton
Director of Public Works, City of Holyoke
Financial analyst, City of Newton
HR Generalist, City of Newton
Government Affairs Associate, The Arc of Massachusetts
Language Access & Equity Fellow, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Policy Coordinator, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General
Vice President, Safe & Stable Housing, United Way of Massachusetts Bay

Jobs continue below the fold — post a job

Happening Today

10:00 | Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth hosts LGBTQ+ Youth Day on the Hill. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Senate President Karen Spilka and youth leaders speak at 10:30 a.m. Attendees will meet with lawmakers and share their priority issues | Great Hall, State House, Boston

11:00 | The House meets in a formal session, with plans to take up bills requiring human trafficking recognition training for certain hospitality workers (H 2726), and extending retirement benefits to teachers who go into second careers in state education regulation and oversight (H 2932). Meanwhile, the Senate plans a Thursday session when a transportation funding bill and a bill to ban students from using cellphones during the school day are on the agenda. | State House, Boston

12:00 | The MassDOT Board of Directors meets, with the highway capital plan and a water transportation study on the agenda. | 10 Park Plaza, MassDOT Board Room, Boston | More Info

FROM BEACON HILL

NCSL FUNDRAISING: Massachusetts lawmakers are asking corporations and other interests to help raise money and cover costs for the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which is coming to Boston next week. – Boston Globe

SHELTER SPENDING: Emergency shelter spending cleared $940 million in fiscal year 2025, but that’s not the final tally. – Boston Herald

SERVICE PLAZA SQUABBLE: Hundreds of employees of Waltham-based Global Partners, which lost a contract to renovate and operate Massachusetts highway service plazas, rallied in front of the State House and called for an investigation into the bidding process. – State House News Service

NEWS NEXT DOOR

‘BIG DIG’ IN NATICK: A $100 million bridge replacement project, mostly funded through the federal government, got underway in Natick, where Route 27 crosses over Route 9. The new bridge comes with a new road design to cut down on the number of crashes. – WCVB

LONGEVITY PAYMENTS: Talk radio and City Council sessions in New Bedford are roiled by $63,500 in so-called “longevity payments” provided to elected officials over the last 20 years, annual bonuses meant for unelected city staffers. – New Bedford Light

CFO MIA: Concord’s chief financial officer has been on leave as the town’s nonprofits say they haven’t heard from officials about payment in lieu of tax (PILOT) agreements. – Concord Bridge

MBTA COMMUNITIES MOVEMENT: Lexington is moving ahead with new development under the MBTA Communities law, with the first project breaking ground on the Bedford town line. The project will bring 317 units to an industrial area. – Boston Business Journal

NANTUCKET BLAST: Officials in Nantucket rebuked developer Vineyard Wind, saying it needs to “lead or leave,” and raising the prospect of legal action. – Nantucket Current

PITTSFIELD PROPOSAL: A public camping ordinance pushed by Pittsfield’s mayor, and advancing within the City Council, is receiving criticism as a proposal that criminalizes homelessness. – Berkshire Edge

ELMA LEWIS ARCHIVES: Northeastern University plans to catalog and release online the files of Elma Lewis, who opened the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists in 1969. – Universal Hub

CHICOPEE COSTS: Unionized city employees say they’re alarmed about rising health insurance costs amid what they call stagnant wages. – MassLive

MORE HEADLINES

In Springfield, councilors seek crackdown on drug use in parks

CPA shortage leads to proposal for new pathway to licensure

Framingham hospital reverses course on NICU closure

Gen Xers getting passed over for CEO jobs

Job Board

Do you have an open job you'd like to feature here? Click here to place a job board order, or email Dylan Rossiter at [email protected].