Massachusetts Employers Put Uncertainty First as Only 13% Plan In-State Hiring
Updated
Updated · The Boston Globe · Jun 23
Massachusetts Employers Put Uncertainty First as Only 13% Plan In-State Hiring
1 articles · Updated · The Boston Globe · Jun 23
Summary
Economic and geopolitical uncertainty has overtaken housing affordability as the top concern for mid-size and large Massachusetts employers, according to the latest Massachusetts Business Roundtable survey.
Nearly all respondents expect inflation, macroeconomic pressure and federal policy changes to hurt the state economy in 2026, helping explain why just 13% plan to expand their Massachusetts workforce this year.
Housing costs still loom large: 80% said lowering housing costs would most improve the state's competitiveness, and more than two-thirds are raising pay as their main retention tool.
A quarter of employers expect to add workers outside Massachusetts, while more than half foresee no change to their in-state footprint and almost none expect to shrink it.
Hiring growth is concentrated at the entry level, and the post-COVID comfort with remote or out-of-state recruiting appears to be persisting even as many companies settle into hybrid or fully in-person work.