Last week’s initial unemployment claims in Massachusetts rose to 5,047 for the week ending August 23, 2025, up from 4,373 the previous week, marking one week of consecutive increase. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July 2025 held steady at 4.8%, unchanged from June 2025 but higher than the 4.1% rate in July 2024.
Initial unemployment claims in Massachusetts, which serve as a proxy for layoffs, have fluctuated over the past few months. The following table lists weekly initial claims for the most recent available weeks in 2025:
From July to August 2025, claims decreased in two weeks (July 26 and August 16) and increased in three weeks (August 2, August 9, and August 23).
On a monthly basis, the statewide seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate remained at 4.8% in July 2025, unchanged from June 2025. This rate was 0.7 percentage points higher than in July 2024. The seasonally adjusted annual average unemployment rates are as follows:
- 2023: 3.5%
- 2024: 4.0%
- 2025 (January to July average, based on available monthly data): Approximately 4.6% (with monthly rates rising from 4.2% in January to 4.8% from May to July)
The trend shows a gradual increase in the unemployment rate over Healey’s tenure, from a low of around 3.4% in late 2022/early 2023 to 4.8% in mid-2025…