While most of the country is having trouble finding work, people searching for jobs in Boston continue to have an easier time than most. During the month of November of November, the city’s unemployment rate was only 5 percent. Massachusetts had a slightly higher jobless rate of 5.9 percent, according to the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. At the same time 6.8 percent of the nation was without work.

Despite this, Boston and the rest of Massachusetts is having a more difficult time processing unemployment benefit. Those who have recently lost their jobs have been advised to call the state’s claim centers between the middle and latter part of the day in order to reduce the number of delays experienced, according to the Boston Herald.

Since last year the number of people without work in Boston and the rest of Massachusetts have risen significantly. Twelve months ago there were only 107,000 people without work. Now there are approximately 200,000 residents struggling to find jobs.

According to the Herald, unemployment centers have been receiving so many calls that they are being answered with busy signals. In order to help fix these problems, first time claimants are now being directed to call centers.

One good thing that has come out of this is the fact that there are more Boston jobs and positions throughout Massachusetts at unemployment offices. Currently there are 140 people in charge of answering phones, which is almost twice the number there was in the beginning of October.

Overall, approximately 8,000 jobs in Massachusetts were lost during the month of November. During December, employers across the nation cut around 524,000 employment opportunities, causing unemployment to rise to 7.2 percent.

For 2008, the U.S. economy dropped somewhere around 2.6 million jobs, which is the most positions cut since 1945. During that year almost 2.8 million jobs were done away with.

Although national and statewide unemployment rates are up, Massachusetts has managed to flourish, particularly by adding more Boston jobs.

In July, according to a Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development Division of Unemployment Assistance article, 10 of the 12 labor market areas in Massachusetts showed job gains, with seasonal gains reported in construction, trade, transportation and utilities, professional, scientific and business services and leisure and hospitality.

The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area added the most new jobs in July, and there also have been more new jobs in Boston this year than last year.

In June, the state’s unemployment rate came in at 5.2 percent, higher than the May rate of 4.9 percent and last year’s rate of 4.6 percent. Despite this, the state’s unemployment rate was still lower than the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent, and Massachusetts added 2,900 jobs in June. The state has gained jobs in eight of the last nine months.

Statewide, the biggest job gain was in the leisure and hospitality industry, which added 2,500 jobs in June. With 304,600 employees, this industry has increased by 2,100 jobs from last year, showing larger-than-expected gains in arts, entertainment and recreation and accommodation and food services.

The education and health services industry added 200 jobs, and the rise in employment offset higher than usual seasonal declines in colleges and universities. The industry currently employs 636,400 people, an increase of 2.1 percent from last year. This industry continues to add the most new jobs and have the highest annual growth rate of any industry in the state.

The construction industry added 700 jobs for the month, the industry’s biggest increase since May 2007. At 134,700 employees, jobs in the industry have decreased 2.3 percent from last year. The manufacturing industry added 300 jobs in June, but at 292,300 employees is down 1.1 percent from last year.

Jobs in the professional, scientific and business services industry were unchanged for the month at 489,400 employees, an increase of 1.4 percent from last year. The financial activities industry also was unchanged at 223,500 employees, a decrease of 1,800 jobs from last year.

The trade, transportation and utilities industry lost jobs, with 568,000 workers, a decrease of 4,200 jobs from last year. The information industry also lost 200 jobs in June, although the industry has added 1,500 jobs throughout the year and has the second-highest annual growth rate at 1.7 percent.

In hopes of creating and preserving jobs in Boston, city officials recently proposed a deal with JPMorgan Chase & Co. In exchange for $4 million in tax breaks, the company would move from downtown to South Boston’s rapidly growing waterfront area. Half of the money used to provide the incentive will come from subsidies meant to aid in rehabilitating struggling areas and the other half will come from $2 million worth of tax reductions at the state level.

Officials say that they decided to offer these incentives after they heard that there was a possibility of JPMorgan leaving the area when the lease on its downtown location ends next year. Had the company decided to relocate to another city, there would have been 726 Boston jobs lost.

They also admitted that this agreement may be a little unorthodox, considering that JPMorgan made approximately $2.4 billion from January to March of this year. Nevertheless, officials maintained that this was the best way to entice JPMorgan to stay in Boston and to get a financial services company into the South Boston waterfront area. Considering the fact that it has been noted that this industry is suffering nationwide, these jobs in Boston are much needed.

Ron Rakow, the city’s Assessor, says that this type of deal isn’t done very often, but that he believes that the circumstances made these incentives necessary. He added ended by saying that he doesn’t foresee any issues with the terms.

JPMorgan’s managing director, Dan Kramer, says that the company is considering the South Boston location along with several other properties in the suburbs, although he declined to say where. Kramer says that the incentives would be “a key determinant in our decision as we negotiate the terms of the lease.” Company executives also said that they had considered moving this particular operation outside of Massachusetts, but ultimately decided to stay in the state largely due to the quality of the workforce.

JPMorgan already has expectations of creating as may as 400 new jobs in Boston during the next few years.