Massachusetts had fewer jobs at the end of the last decade than it had at the beginning, the first time since World War II there has been an overall loss of jobs in the state over a 10-year period.

The Boston Globe, citing figures from the U.S. Labor Department and Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies, reports Monday that in the decade from 1999 through 2009, average employment in the state fell by 55,000 jobs, nearly 2 percent.

There were 3.24 million jobs at the end of 1999 and 3.19 jobs at the end of 2009.

The number of job losses is attributed to two recessions during the decade that took a large bite out of technology jobs. Analysts said a shift from manufacturing to service jobs, as well as globalization, also played roles.