HYANNIS – Unemployment continues to fall on Cape Cod and the Islands.
The rate was 5.9 percent for Barnstable County in February which was down from 7.2 percent at the same time last year.
Unemployment also fell for Cape Cod from the previous month.
“It’s down five-tenths of a percentage point, down from 6.4 percent to 5.9 percent, which is kind of crazy that February would be that much better than January, but that is what the numbers say,” said David Augustinho, the MassHire Cape & Islands Workforce Development Board executive director.
The Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment numbers published by the state are based on survey data.
“They are not based on any information that any employers report or anything like that. They are based on a survey,” Augustinho said.
“And a survey, of course, is not always the most accurate thing.”
Augustinho said the survey results are “apples to apples” as the same survey has been conducted for several years.
“There is a pretty high confidence level in the numbers,” he said.
Augustinho said the economy remains strong across the board on the Cape and Islands.
“If anything is kind of driving it, I would say that construction has remained extremely strong,” he said.
Construction was one of the last markets to rebound following the Great Recession of the late 2000s.
“Even though there isn’t a tremendous amount of new building, there is some but not a tremendous amount,” Augustinho said. “The rehabs are fueling, I think, a lot of the construction industry and they seem to have as much work as they can handle.”
Current unemployment in the region indicates that it will likely be a tight labor market for seasonal employers.
“We have already been working with employers in several ventures, including trying to recruit in Puerto Rico and other areas,” Augustinho said.
Augustinho said employers have been having success with J-1 Visa students.
The J-1 Visa is a cultural visa and is not solely based on employment.
He said many of those visa holders like to travel and they might cut their work time short.
The Cape & Islands Workforce Development Board will continue to host hiring events.
“Several will feature older workers as potential sources for employers during the busy summer season,” Augustinho said.
The unemployment rate on Martha’s Vineyard fell from 9.1 percent to 7.7 percent from last February. The rate on Nantucket was down to 10.6 percent from 11.3 percent.
Unemployment was also down slightly on both islands from January.
Plymouth unemployment was down to 3.4 percent in February from 4.4 percent last year.
Overall state unemployment was 3.2 percent in February, which was down from 4 percent last year and 3.6 percent in January.
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