State Gains More Jobs In March

The state is out with an upbeat monthly jobs report. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development says preliminary estimates show Massachusetts gained more than 8,000 jobs in March and the state's unemployment rate dropped to 6.3 percent from 6.5 percent the previous month.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised upward its February jobs estimates for Massachusetts, saying the state picked up 5,500 jobs in the month, compared to the earlier estimate of 3,800 jobs gained.

State officials say there has been a net gain of more than 50,000 jobs since March 2013, and the unemployment rate has dropped six-tenths of a percentage point in the last year.

The local unemployment rate is expected to be released next week.

{Associated Press)