Massachusetts is a low-churn, high-wage market. Jobs are flat, workers are staying put, and pay runs above national levels. Here is what the data means for how you recruit.
Massachusetts workers are not moving much. The quits rate sits at 1.3%, total nonfarm jobs changed just +0.2% over the year, and unemployment eased from 4.5% to 4.3%. That is a market where the people you want mostly already have jobs. You win them by being faster, clearer on pay and easier to reach than the employer they already work for.
The job openings rate of 3.4% runs ahead of the hires rate of 2.7%. Roles are posted faster than they get filled. Meanwhile Private education and health services makes up 23.3% of nonfarm jobs and is still growing at +1.7%. Healthcare, education and childcare employers are competing for the same limited pool of aides, assistants and support staff.
Pay is the other pressure point. Median wages for many high-volume roles sit above national medians. State pay transparency rules also put your range in front of candidates before they apply. The sections below walk through the labor snapshot, wages, industry mix and hiring rules, then turn them into steps you can act on this month.
Unemployment at 4.3% is close to the national 4.2%, but a low 1.3% quits rate means few candidates are actively job hunting. Expect to recruit people who are employed and only half looking.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS, CES, JOLTS). "Preliminary" figures may be revised. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
| Occupation | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales representatives of services | $23.09 | $40.27 | $78.04 | 32,300 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing | $23.05 | $38.37 | $75.48 | 22,700 |
| Telemarketers | $17.72 | $21.46 | $27.66 | — |
| Customer service representatives | $17.04 | $23.61 | $36.00 | 49,990 |
| Retail salespersons | $16.01 | $17.60 | $23.07 | 86,860 |
| Cashiers | $15.47 | $17.08 | $21.16 | 58,880 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers | $17.53 | $21.60 | $28.01 | 34,700 |
| Fast food and counter workers | $15.04 | $17.24 | $18.61 | 85,810 |
| Janitors and cleaners | $16.97 | $21.91 | $28.78 | 55,490 |
| Sales managers | $48.32 | $91.92 | $154.33 | 15,010 |
Customer service reps earn a median of $23.61 against $21.53 nationally, and janitors earn $21.91 against $17.71. Entry-level retail and cashier medians sit not far above the $15.00 state minimum, so small pay differences and fast offers carry real weight.
862,800 jobs · 23.3% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
With Private education and health services at 23.3% of jobs and growing +1.7%, aide and clinic roles need an always-open pipeline rather than one-off postings.
604,700 jobs · 16.3% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Professional and business services slipped −0.5%, so some contact-center and admin workers may be open to a move if you reach them quickly with a clear pay range.
555,600 jobs · 15.0% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Trade, transportation, and utilities fell −0.8%, which can widen the pool of experienced warehouse, driver and retail candidates for employers still hiring.
362,000 jobs · 9.8% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Leisure and hospitality held roughly steady at −0.1%, so servers, cooks and housekeepers still turn over and reward bulk outreach before peak periods.
229,700 jobs · 6.2% of nonfarm employment · August 2026
Manufacturing grew +1.8%, the fastest among the top sectors, so production and machine operator roles will face more competition for the same workers.
Private education and health services leads at 23.3% of jobs and keeps adding headcount, while Manufacturing grew +1.8%. Trade, transportation, and utilities pulled back −0.8%, which can loosen supply for warehouse and retail roles.
Massachusetts has state rules on criminal history questions, minimum wage, non-competes and pay range disclosure that shape how you write postings and applications. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm current requirements with the relevant state agency or your employment counsel.
Massachusetts bars employers from asking about arrests without conviction, sealed or expunged records, first-offense minor misdemeanors, and misdemeanors more than three years old.
Massachusetts bars covered employers from requesting criminal offender record information on the initial written job application, with narrow exceptions for legally disqualifying offenses.
Massachusetts' statewide minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, with a $6.75 minimum cash wage for tipped service employees.
The Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act makes non-competes enforceable only if they meet strict requirements, and bars them for non-exempt workers, students, laid-off or terminated-without-cause employees, and workers 18 or younger.
Massachusetts employers with 25 or more employees in the state must disclose the pay range in job postings and give it to employees on request or on promotion or transfer.
General information, not legal advice.
Employment rules change and have exceptions that depend on employer size, industry and facts. This summary reflects the sources shown as of the dates shown (legal sources checked October 15, 2026). Confirm requirements with the relevant agency or qualified counsel before acting.
State rules require covered employers to show a pay range in job postings, and many local medians run above national levels. Make the range the first line of the posting and the first line of your outreach text. Candidates who already have a job decide in seconds whether a role is worth a reply.
Openings at 3.4% outpace hires at 2.7%, so most applicants have other options. Text new applicants right away, offer a self-booked interview slot and send reminders. Every day of silence is a day the candidate's current employer gets to keep them.
Services sales rep pay runs from $23.09 to $78.04 an hour, with a median of $40.27. That spread is mostly commission and performance pay. State the base, explain how commission works and give a realistic typical figure so candidates can compare your offer to the job they have.
Private education and health services is the largest and still-growing sector. Keep a branded apply page open for aides and medical assistants at every location. Use automated phone screening and shortlists so new applicants move to interviews without waiting for a recruiter to free up.
Massachusetts bars covered employers from asking for criminal record information on the initial written application. Lock the approved language into your application and message templates so individual managers cannot add those questions. Confirm the exact wording with counsel.
In a market where most good candidates already have jobs, speed and clarity decide who gets hired. Conversational SMS and automations let you text new applicants immediately and keep every reply in one inbox. AI voice screening calls candidates for high-volume healthcare and frontline roles and feeds results into your pipeline, so recruiters spend time on the strongest fits. The recruiting template library includes merge fields and lockable legal sections, which helps keep pay range language and fair chance wording consistent across every location and hiring manager.
Start with the wage table. Many high-volume roles pay above national medians, such as material movers at $21.60 versus $19.35 nationally. The state minimum wage is $15.00, and entry-level retail medians sit close to it, so even a small premium can stand out.
Massachusetts requires employers that meet the state's employee threshold to disclose the pay range in job postings. They must also give it to employees on request or on promotion or transfer. Confirm whether and how this applies to you with the state agency or your counsel.
Massachusetts bars covered employers from requesting criminal offender record information on the initial written application, with narrow exceptions for legally disqualifying offenses. The state also limits questions about arrests without conviction, sealed or expunged records, and certain misdemeanors. This is general information, so check details with counsel before changing your process.
Fast. The openings rate of 3.4% is ahead of the hires rate of 2.7%, which means candidates usually have more than one option. Contact applicants the same day and let them book their own interview time.
Yes, with care. Get clear opt-in consent before sending recruiting texts, identify your company in messages and honor STOP or opt-out replies right away. Keep a record of consent for each candidate.
Give each location its own apply page so applicants land in one pipeline. Use bulk messaging and status-based automations to move groups of candidates at once. Keep shared templates so pay and compliance language stays consistent everywhere.
Sources and data currency
Labor data as of August 2026; wage data May 2025; rules checked October 15, 2026. Next scheduled review: January 15, 2027. This page is educational market information for employers.
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