Unemployment is steady in most Mass. cities and towns

Such disparities existed long before the economic downturn, but they are worse now, said Michael Widmer, president of the business-backed Mass. Taxpayers Foundation. “In the wealthier suburbs, you tend to have professionals and (people with) higher education who are able to find jobs or maintain jobs even in difficult economic times,” he said. “These elder cities have always had higher unemployment rates and suffered and struggled to create jobs.”