Labor Market Intelligence

Labor Market Data for Metro South/West

This page houses Labor Market Intelligence available for the forty-three cities and towns which make up the Metro South/West geographical region. The MassHire Metro South/West Workforce Board can provide more detailed LMI as needed, as well as assistance accessing additional LMI resources through the US Census, the American Community Survey, the MA Department of Unemployment Assistance’s Economic Research Dept and The MetroWest Economic Research Center. For additional assistance or information specific to your part of the region, contact us.

Unemployment Data

The most recent unemployment rates and labor force metrics for all forty-three cities and towns served by the Metro South/West Workforce Board are available below.

Metro South/West Unemployment Rate vs Massachusetts Unemployment Rate

The below chart compares the monthly unemployment rate seen in 2025 in the Metro South/West region to the unemployment rate of Massachusetts.

Business Establishment

Industries are defined as a collection of businesses that are engaged in the same or similar principle business activities, such as providing a type of good or service. They are codified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

NAICS Code	Industry Description	Business Establishments	Number Employed	Avg. Weekly Wages
11	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	109	1,797	$962
21	Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	10	56	$1,831
23	Construction	3,073	28,967	$2,068
31-33	Manufacturing	1,007	39,054	$3,165
DUR	Durable Goods Manufacturing	646	27,652	$3,500
NONDUR	Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing	361	11,402	$2,353
22	Utilities	68	1,607	$3,581
42	Wholesale Trade	1,826	20,129	$3,619
44-45	Retail Trade	3,032	51,520	$963
48-49	Transportation and Warehousing	565	12,035	$1,316
51	Information	1,345	21,598	$4,162
52	Finance and Insurance	1,960	21,277	$4,095
53	Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	1,412	8,530	$2,153
54	Professional and Technical Services	7,051	71,447	$3,893
55	Management of Companies and Enterprises	332	24,862	$4,561
56	Administrative and Waste Services	2,121	31,038	$1,360
61	Educational Services	955	63,320	$1,393
62	Health Care and Social Assistance	6,245	81,439	$1,378
71	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	711	12,531	$1,550
72	Accommodation and Food Services	2,135	35,520	$655
81	Other Services, Except Public Administration	4,620	16,792	$1,152
92	Public Administration	431	17,374	$2,050

	Total, All Industries	39,028	560,895	$2,240

Labor Supply & Demand

This labor supply versus demand indicator is produced by comparing the number of unemployed residents seeking work to the number of jobs posted online in the Metro South/West region each month.

Employer Job Posting

Business is at the heart of economic development. In the Metro South West Region, businesses of all size and industry type are partnering with workforce professional to create job opportunities and grow a robust economy.

Company	Primary City/Town	Industry	Job Postings
Mass General Brigham	Newton	Ambulatory Health Care Services	412
TJX Companies, Inc.	Framingham	Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers	332
CVS Health	Wellesley	Health and Personal Care Stores	304
GPAC	Norwood	Administrative and Support Services	268
MetroWest Medical Center	Natick	Hospitals	250
BAYADA Home Health Care	Marlborough	Ambulatory Health Care Services	243
Whole Foods	Newton	Food and Beverage Stores	236
Insulet Corporation	Acton	Miscellaneous Manufacturing	222
Wellborn Cabinet	Ashland	Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing	220
Emerson Hospital	Concord	Hospitals	212
Sharkninja	Needham	Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing	205
Boston Children's Hospital	Needham	Hospitals	202
Randstad	Marlborough	Administrative and Support Services	196
LifeStance Health	Norwood	Ambulatory Health Care Services	190
Raytheon Technologies	Marlborough	Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	190
Robert Half	Marlborough	Administrative and Support Services	189
Kelly Services	Norwood	Administrative and Support Services	179
Staples	Framingham	Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods	177
Boston Scientific	Marlborough	Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing	174
Beacon Hill Staffing Group	Waltham	Administrative and Support Services	172

Additional Resources & Downloads

The Greater Boston Workforce Planning Blueprint

The Greater Boston Workforce Planning Blueprint discusses results of the labor supply analysis for the Greater Boston region which includes the three workforce delivery areas of Boston, Metro North, and Metro South/West. The respective workforce development boards (WDBs) of each WDA led this project. The three WDBs selected and convened a group of regional education, workforce, and economic development stakeholders for five meetings to spread information about the project, solicit ideas, and obtain consensus on plans for the region.

Download the Blueprint

The Technology Heartland of Massachusetts

Covering the area between Routes 128/I-495, and serving 43 communities, Metro South/West is one of the largest of the 16 workforce regions in Massachusetts.

The Metro South/West region contains communities that are defined by high-growth, high-paying knowledge and innovation industries, exceptional educational attainment and outstanding research and education institutions.

Metro South/West is a competitive labor market in which jobs requiring post-secondary education dominate and college-educated residents thrive. Those without post-secondary education do not.

Download the Full Report