Find a Job You Really Want In
At Zippia, our goal is to explore the landscape of job opportunities across the nation, identifying both the best and most challenging locations for job seekers.
In this article, we focus on the cities in Massachusetts that present the most obstacles for job seekers, following an earlier examination of the top places for employment in the state.
Unfortunately, these cities have yet to demonstrate the resilience and growth needed to advance in the competitive job market.
After analyzing data from the 100 largest cities in Massachusetts, we found that the ten most challenging cities to secure a job are:
Continue reading to discover how we arrived at these rankings.
For further insights on employment trends in Massachusetts, explore:
Methodology for Identifying the Most Challenging Job Markets in Massachusetts
In our analysis, we focused on the most populous cities in Massachusetts, specifically those with populations exceeding 5,000 residents.
This criterion led us to evaluate 100 cities.
Each city was assessed across various metrics, ranked from one to 100, where a score of one indicated the most significant challenges in each category.
We then calculated the average rank across all metrics to determine the “Most Challenging City in Massachusetts for Job Seekers.”
The evaluation criteria included:
1. Lawrence
Population: 76,331 Recent Job Growth: 0.94%
Future Job Growth: 30.00%
2. Springfield
Population: 153,278 Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 32.80%
3. Fall River
Population: 89,049 Recent Job Growth: 0.95%
Future Job Growth: 30.80%
4. Holyoke
Population: 39,996 Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 33.20%
5. Fitchburg
Population: 40,314 Recent Job Growth: 0.79%
Future Job Growth: 32.90%
6. Pittsfield
Population: 44,542 Recent Job Growth: -0.83%
Future Job Growth: 31.80%
7. Worcester
Population: 181,473 Recent Job Growth: 0.75%
Future Job Growth: 34.70%
8. Gardner
Population: 20,250 Recent Job Growth: 0.79%
Future Job Growth: 34.40%
9. Leominster
Population: 40,879 Recent Job Growth: 0.79%
Future Job Growth: 34.00%
10. Chicopee
Population: 55,326 Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 34.80%
Conclusion: The Road Ahead for Job Seekers
Our analysis reveals that Lawrence tops the list as the most challenging city for job seekers in Massachusetts.
While the overall economy continues to evolve and job opportunities are expanding in various regions, these ten cities are struggling to keep pace. With strategic investment and community support, we hope to see these areas improve and become more favorable for job seekers in the near future.
Detailed List of Challenging Job Markets in Massachusetts
| City | Rank |
|---|---|
| Lawrence | 1 |
| Springfield | 2 |
| Fall River | 3 |
| Holyoke | 4 |
| Fitchburg | 5 |
| Pittsfield | 6 |
| Worcester | 7 |
| Gardner | 8 |
| Leominster | 9 |
| Chicopee | 10 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
