BLS: September employment grew 1.8% in Providence County

EMPLOYMENT INCREASED in 306 out of the 339 largest counties in September, and Providence was no exception with 1.8 percent growth, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
EMPLOYMENT INCREASED in 306 out of the 339 largest counties in September, and Providence was no exception with 1.8 percent growth, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

PROVIDENCE – Employment increased in 306 out of the 339 largest counties in September, and Providence was no exception with 1.8 percent growth, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Providence area, which had 280,500 people employed, ranked 153rd for its 1.8 percent year-over-year gain, the federal agency said.
Weld, Colo., had the largest employment percentage increase at an 8.8 percent gain year over year. On the other end of the spectrum, Atlantic, N.J., had the largest year over year percentage decrease at 4 percent.
Nationally, employment grew 2 percent in September compared with September 2013.
As for average weekly wages, Providence ranked 274th among the 339 largest counties for its 1.6 percent increase to $937. The national average weekly wage increased 2.9 percent over the year to $949 in the third quarter.
Olmsted, Minn., had the largest over the year increase in average weekly wages with an 11.1 percent gain, while Collier, Fla., had the largest decrease in average weekly wages with a 3.9 percent loss over the year. Suffolk, Mass., ranked 10th for largest over the year increase in weekly wages at 5.9 percent.
Among the New England states, Rhode Island was tied with New Hampshire for 1.4 percent employment growth in September, trailing only Massachusetts, which had 1.8 percent growth. Vermont reported 1.2 percent employment growth, followed by Connecticut at 0.8 percent and Maine, 0.3 percent.
As for as average weekly wage, Rhode Island was second to last with an increase of 1.8 percent, to $895 in the third quarter, ahead of only Connecticut, which reported growth of 1.4 percent to $1,124. New Hampshire led weekly wage growth at 3.6 percent, to $927, followed by Massachusetts with 3 percent growth to $1,164; Maine, 2.6 percent growth to $754 and Vermont, 2.3 percent growth to $805.

No posts to display