State unemployment rises in September

BOSTON – September brought more job losses in Massachusetts, according to figures released Friday by the state labor office.The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported that the state’s unemployment rate rose from 9.1 to 9.3 percent during September, with 9,200 jobs lost.The same agency originally reported that 400 jobs were lost in August but later revised that figure to 700.Nationally, the unemployment rate in September was 9.8 percent, up slightly from the previous month.Education and health services recorded higher job numbers compared to a year ago, while the largest declines over the year occurred in professional, scientific and business services; trade, transportation and utilities; and construction and manufacturing.Based on that data, jobs in Massachusetts are down 110,200 or 3.4 percent from one year ago, according to Alison Harris, a spokeswoman for the state labor office.