BLS: R.I. has greatest over-the-year jobless rate drop in September

RHODE ISLAND experienced the greatest decrease in its jobless rate nationwide in September compared with September 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday.
RHODE ISLAND experienced the greatest decrease in its jobless rate nationwide in September compared with September 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday.

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island led the nation with the greatest year-over-year decrease in its jobless rate in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday.
The Ocean State’s unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent from 7.2 percent a year earlier, a drop of 1.8 percentage points.
It was one of 26 states and the District of Columbia that had statistically significant unemployment rate declines from September 2014. The only significant over-the-year rate increase was in West Virginia at 1 percentage point. The remaining 23 states had rates that were not much different than a year earlier, the agency said.
The national jobless rate in September was 5.1 percent, according to the agency. The lowest jobless rate was in North Dakota at 2.8 percent, while the highest was in West Virginia at 7.3 percent.
Rhode Island also was one of 11 states that had statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate declines in September, and, along with Missouri and South Carolina, experienced the greatest change at 0.3 percentage points each, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
Rhode Island’s labor force totaled 558,200 in September, an increase from September 2014 when it was 552,100. The number of unemployed also fell to 30,400 in September, from September 2014 when it numbered 39,800. The figures are adjusted for seasonality.
The number of employees on nonfarm payrolls – also adjusted for seasonality – increased in September by 3,000 to 482,100 in Rhode Island, the agency said. The largest significant over-the-year nonfarm employment increase occurred in California at 444,300, while West Virginia had a significant decrease, 11,400.

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  1. For a more detailed analysis of the employment/underemployment/ unemployment situation;

    Refer to The Bureau Of Labor Statistics; http://www.bls.gov/lau/stalt.htm …which is updated quarterly…
    …as of 07/24/2015, Rhode Island’s Employment/Underemployment/Unemployment Rate
    of measurement at Level U6 is: TWELVE PONT FOUR CENT (12.4%)….

    ….and as of 10/02/2015, the National Employment/Unemployment
    Rate of measurement at Level U6 is: TEN PER CENT (EVEN) (10.0%)…
    (further details can be found at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm which is updated monthly….)

    The next publication of the Employment/Underemployment/Unemployment situation, broken down by State level,
    covering the four quarters ending in September 2015, is scheduled for Friday, October 23, 2015,
    so stay tuned….jkp