MA Workforce Board Meets in Lowell
by Tim O'Connor, June 2025
The Massachusetts Workforce Board held their quarterly meeting in the Hall of Flags at Lowell Memorial Auditorium on June 12. The state’s workforce board seeks to facilitate talent development, respond to economic developments, and creates regional blueprints to match employers and job seekers’ needs.
This quarterly meeting was joined by Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll who was a former board member and worked closely with her local her local workforce board while serving as a long-term mayor in Salem. Driscoll pointed out that board has implemented several initiatives and investments in workforce development.
“I feel like we’re hitting our stride some of our initiatives that connect the needs of employers and the individuals looking for work,” said Driscoll.
Driscoll added that the key feature of workforce development is the partnership between local leaders and the state legislatures that creates a commitment to continuous improvement.
In addition to hearing from the Lieutenant Governor, the board also received an update from Mark Rembert, Chef Economist of the Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development.
Rembert warned that the state has seen a steady rise in unemployment over the last year. In April the state’s unemployment rate was 4.6%, historically low but still 0.6% over last April. Some of the rise in unemployment can be attributed to a growth in the number of individuals looking for work, but it might also be indication that the labor market is softening, said Rembert.
In Lowell, the unemployment rate in April was 5.2%, an increase of 1.3% over last year. This rate represents 3,284 individuals seeking work, or 875 more than than last year. MassHire Lowell Career Center is also experiencing an 11% growth in individuals job seeking services, 1,773 more than last year.
MassHire Programs & Services are funded in full by US Department of Labor (USDOL) Employment and Training Administration grants. Additional details furnished upon request.