Market Basket Impact: State Loses 5,300 Jobs in August

Market Basket, Central Plaza, Haverhill.

Massachusetts lost 5,300 jobs in August, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) said Thursday, interpreting numbers compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Job losses were impacted by temporary employment disruptions in the retail trade sector, the agency said in a veiled reference to this summer’s Market Basket troubles. That is part of the Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector, which reflected a gross loss of 10,600 (-1.9%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Trade, Transportation, and Utilities gained 1,100 (+0.2%) jobs.

During the dispute, co-CEOs Felicia Thornton and James Gooch eliminated work hours for part-timers.

Jobs are estimated at 3,415,200. The August total unemployment rate was up .2 of a percentage point to 5.8 percent from the July rate. The rate is 0.3 of a percentage point below the 6.1 percent national unemployment rate.

Since August 2013, Massachusetts has added a net of 54,300 jobs; with 53,500 jobs added in the private sector. The total unemployment rate for the year is down 1.4 percent from the August 2013 rate of 7.2 percent.

BLS also revised its July job estimates to a 12,200 job gain from the 13,800 gain previously reported for the month.