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2010 New England Regional Forecast

Nov. 1, 2009
New England is weathering the recession a bit better than other regions, as unemployment is comparatively low and several large construction projects

New England Regional Forecast

Connecticut • Maine • Massachusetts • New Hampshire

New England is weathering the recession a bit better than other regions, as unemployment is comparatively low and several large construction projects are underway. The region's biggest construction project is in downtown Boston, which currently boasts a stellar office vacancy rate of 10.4 percent. According to The Boston Globe, the 30-plus-story Russia Wharf mixed-use project is scheduled for completion in 2011. According to McGraw-Hill Construction data, the region's largest construction projects are a $100 million renovation job at Morse College in Connecticut; a 600,000-square-foot addition to the Baystate Medical Center Hospital in Springfield, Mass.; and a 425,000-square-foot hospital job in Worcester, Mass. On the downside, the office vacancy rate of 21.8 percent in Connecticut's Fairfield County is its highest in a decade. In other sobering news, Rhode Island's unemployment rate as of August was a disturbing 12.8 percent.

EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS

Actual
Electricians

in thousands

M

G

C

New England 27,720 635.5 905.8 4,557.9Connecticut 6,880 172.0 229.0 1,053.3Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA 1,260 38.1 44.6 285.0Danbury, CT NECTA 410 NA 7.6 25.1Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA 2,400 58.7 80.4 344.0New Haven, CT NECTA 1,040 30.0 29.9 176.0Norwich-New London, CT-RI NECTA 570 15.4 37.4 68.7Waterbury, CT NECTA 410 9.3 9.3 39.1Maine 3,110 53.2 91.7 395.6-Bangor, ME NECTA 280 3.2 11.5 41.4Lewiston-Auburn, ME NECTA 220 5.3 4.8 31.1Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME NECTA 510 13.5 21.6 135.1Massachusetts 12,280 269.4 398.3 2,197.4Barnstable Town, MA NECTA 420 2.9 16.1 79.3Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH NECTA 9,280 206.1 280.5 1,698.3Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 6,100 98.2 185.5 1,236.7Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division 290 7.7 14.1 51.3Framingham, MA NECTA Division 860 25.2 14.2 100.1Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH NECTA Division 450 9.7 9.9 45.6Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA NECTA 130 7.7 7.5 28.8Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH NECTA Division 630 18.5 15.8 64.7New Bedford, MA NECTA 140 8.9 9.7 36.7Peabody, MA NECTA Division 410 11.0 14.0 63.6Pittsfield, MA NECTA 100 3.2 4.2 21.8Springfield, MA-CT NECTA 1,110 34.2 45.9 170.3Worcester, MA-CT NECTA 1,040 27.0 34.5 152.6New Hampshire 2,340 68.7 83.7 414.8Manchester, NH NECTA 600 8.5 9.9 68.8Nashua, NH-MA NECTA Division 350 22.9 13.2 77.9Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA 390 3.8 8.7 38.3Rochester-Dover, NH-ME NECTA 200 6.5 10.7 34.7Rhode Island 1,920 41.7 57.7 317.3Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA 2,270 53.4 65.6 369.6Vermont 1,190 30.5 45.4 179.5Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA 320 13.0 NA 78.9

Metro areas are metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) unless otherwise noted.

Metro Div. — Metropolitan Division NECTA — New England city and town area NA — Not available

Electrician employment for May 2008 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

M — Manufacturing employees for July 2009. Source: Current Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

C — Commercial account employees (professional and business services, retail trade, financial activities, educational and health services, leisure and hospitality, and other services) for July 2008. Source: Current Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

G — Government employees for July 2009. Source: Current Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics