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Massachusetts Unemployment Rate Dips To 4.8 percent

BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts unemployment rate dropped to 4.8 percent last month, a slight drop from February and a full 1.1 percentage points lower than March 2014.

The state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development also announced on Thursday that the state added 10,500 jobs last month, and there were 34,000 fewer unemployed people last month compared to the year-ago month.

The national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent last month. The state unemployment rate in February was 4.9 percent.

The health and education sector added the most jobs last month, about 5,500.

Leisure and hospitality and manufacturing also added jobs.

Construction has the most job losses last month with about 2,100, while the financial activities and government sectors also shed jobs, but all three sectors were up over the year.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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