Springfield unemployment rate hits 25.3% even as businesses reopen from coronavirus shutdown
“There is a significant amount of dislocation,” said David Cruise, president and CEO of the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board. “Particularly in those service industries that are dependent on customers coming into facilities.” Hard hit were workers at MGM Springfield, which reopened to the general public July 13 after a four-month shutdown. Cruise said MassHire career centers in Holyoke, Springfield, Northampton and Greenfield have all pivoted toward an online system of helping people file for unemployment benefits and look for work without necessarily meeting in person.