BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that the expanded Registered Apprenticeship Tax Credit—part of the administration’s 2023 tax cut package—helped employers across Massachusetts hire more than double the number of apprentices in 2024 compared to previous years.
According to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS) approved $465,600 in tax credits to 19 employers who hired 97 registered apprentices. The credit was used to support hiring in key industries such as clean energy, health care, and education.
“It’s great to see employers from across the state and various industries take advantage of this important tax credit,” said Governor Healey. “By expanding eligibility to some of our most in-demand and growing industries, we are reducing the cost of doing business in Massachusetts, encouraging employers to leverage apprenticeship as a strategy to fill their hiring needs, and giving dozens of Massachusetts residents a pathway to a good-paying career.”
Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll added, “Making Massachusetts more affordable for both residents and businesses is our top priority, and our tax cuts package is helping us achieve these goals. The Registered Apprenticeship Tax Credit allows employers to invest more in their employees while putting money back into their businesses, making them even stronger.”
The refundable tax credit offers up to $4,800 per qualified apprentice. In 2024, clean energy employers hired 26 apprentices, education employers hired 33—particularly in the child care sector—and health care employers hired 20, compared to just five in 2022 and 2023.
“Registered Apprenticeship is an important part of our workforce agenda as we work to close the skills gap, create pathways for untapped talent, and meet the hiring needs of Massachusetts employers,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones. “The expansion of the Registered Apprenticeship Tax Credit to more industries provides businesses with a tool in the toolbox to reduce the cost of hiring, attract new talent, and build a strong workforce in Massachusetts.”
Undersecretary of Labor Josh Cutler said the administration’s expansion of the credit is helping open doors to good-paying careers in fields that are critical to the state’s future.
“We’re seeing more and more employers take advantage of the Registered Apprenticeship Tax Credit because they recognize that apprenticeships are a powerful tool to build their workforce and strengthen our economy,” Undersecretary of Labor Cutler said. “Thanks to the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s commitment to expanding this credit, we’re opening doors to good-paying careers in clean energy, health care, and education—fields that are critical to our state’s future.”
The Healey-Driscoll Administration said the apprenticeship tax credit is part of the governor’s 2023 tax cut package, which also doubled the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit and raised the Earned Income Tax Credit from 30 to 40 percent of the federal level.
More information is available at mass.gov/taxcuts.
