Mobility Tool

What Opportunities and Challenges Characterize Boston's Labor Market Today?

This dashboard provides industry-level insight into Boston's workforce – showing where people work and at what wage, how those sectors are growing, and what education needs look like – against a national benchmark. Use it to better understand the Boston labor market, and how each major industry’s demand and growth exceed, match, or lag national benchmarks.

Labor Force Size2,784,486

Employment Growth0.9%

National Benchmark: 1.2%

Labor Force Participation Rate69.1%

National Benchmark: 62.3%

Unemployment Rate4.5%

National Benchmark: 4.3%

College Attainment Rate52.5%

National Benchmark: 42.0%

*Sources: BGI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Community Survey, and Lightcast data

Sort by

Share of Total Labor Force

Location Quotient

Job Postings

Employment Growth

Pay

Non-BA Share of Workforce

Health Care and Social Assistance

15.4%

12.2%

302,091

+3.2%

$62,400

43.9%

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

13.5%

50.7%

166,904

+1.1%

$98,800

16.1%

Educational Services

11.6%

27.7%

103,590

-0.9%

$67,891

24.4%

Retail Trade

9.0%

-13.8%

137,534

-4.1%

$45,635

68.0%

Manufacturing

8.6%

-2.8%

126,850

-2.8%

$103,786

46.0%

Finance and Insurance

6.2%

21.9%

70,109

+2.5%

$105,000

24.8%

Construction

5.8%

-15.4%

23,982

+2.4%

$66,560

76.9%

Accommodation and Food Services

5.6%

-15.0%

57,762

-0.1%

$45,760

78.3%

Other Services (except Public Administration)

4.1%

-13.5%

29,912

+8.1%

$54,080

64.7%

Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services

3.9%

-14.8%

269,017

+14.8%

$90,000

66.7%

Public Administration

3.9%

-26.5%

22,650

+4.9%

$74,633

43.2%

Transportation and Warehousing

3.5%

-34.8%

25,775

-0.5%

$59,280

76.6%

Information

2.3%

11.0%

35,602

+5.1%

$114,655

26.7%

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation

2.0%

-6.8%

14,136

+5.6%

$55,000

49.4%

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

1.8%

-11.4%

24,221

+6.4%

$62,400

42.6%

Wholesale Trade

1.8%

-24.7%

39,278

-22.0%

$58,240

53.2%

Utilities

0.6%

-18.8%

7,106

-5.3%

$107,500

48.5%

Significantly Below National Average

Below National Average

On par with National Average

Above National Average

Significantly Above National Average

*Sources: BGI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Community Survey, and Lightcast data

Key Insights

Employer Demand Runs Hot

13 of 17 industries show above/much above benchmark postings; the remainder are on par. Notable “much above” signals in Education, Health Care, Manufacturing, Retail, Utilities. Near-term hiring intent is demonstrated and broad-based.

Boston is Strongly More Degree-Screened Than the Nation

In all 17 sectors, the share of non-BA workers is below or much below the U.S. benchmark (including trades-heavy sectors). While not surprising for the city at the center of higher education, this suggests that middle-skill onramps are tighter than nationally; skills-first hiring and short-cycle credentials can widen access where licensure isn’t binding.

Wages are a Region-Wide Advantage

Pay is exceptional: 14 of 17 sectors are much above the U.S. benchmark and 2 are above. Top medians: Utilities ($106k), Finance ($105k), PSTS ($103k), Manufacturing ($100k), Information ($98k).

Which Industries Can Drive Greater Economic Mobility in Boston?* Click on a bubble to explore roles for this industry.

Explore how industries in Boston compare in terms of talent mobility and employment growth. Use this tool to identify sectors that could benefit the most from upskilling or career pathways.Bubble size reflects the number of workers in each industry.

Mobility Gaps

Opportunity Engines

Redeployment Opportunities

Thinning Launchpads

Mobility Index

Employment Growth

How can Boston Mobilize Talent to Strengthen Opportunity Engines?

This chart highlights the roles that merit recruiting, reskilling, or redesign focus.

Roles inEducation Level

Address Opportunity Gaps

Mobilize Now

Redeploy

Build On Strengths

Mobility Index

Talent Shortage Index

Which High-Mobility Roles Should Boston Target to Unlock Opportunities?

This section highlights individual roles with high talent mobility – occupations where workers can transition into, grow, or move across roles more easily.

Roles in

High Mobility Roles with Talent Shortages in Boston

Talent Flows into Accountants and Auditors

This chart shows transition pathways into Accountants and Auditors

Loading chart...

Feeder Roles

Select a role to see its feeder roles

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