DLT revises job growth in 2Q up, yearly gain most in decades

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island added 1,200 more jobs than first reported for the second quarter of the year, according to revised figures put out by the R.I. Department of Labor and Training Thursday afternoon.

Based on a review of tax data, the DLT revised its totals for private-sector jobs by 800 and public sector jobs by 400, bringing the total at the end of June 2014 to 477,800, the agency reported. The second quarter runs from April through June.

Between June 2013 and June 2014, the state gained 5,400 jobs, according to the estimates derived from tax data. In contrast, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics had showed a gain of 4,200 jobs for this same period, DLT said.

When combined with an increase of 6,600 jobs over the first six months of 2014, DLT estimates through September show that employment increased by 8,900 jobs since the start of the year, the largest increase for the first nine months of the year since “at least 1990,” when DLT began recording this data, the agency said.

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“My administration’s consistent investment in education, infrastructure and workforce development is to create the environment for Rhode Island companies to grow and hire more workers,” said Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee. “Federal statistics show that Rhode Island is off to its best start since 1984. These quarterly job revisions further demonstrate that trend.”

Added DLT Director Charles J. Fogarty: “Rhode Island’s economy continues to improve and grow jobs. That’s good news. 2014 is shaping up to be a solid year for job growth and since January of 2011, jobs are up by more than 20,000.”

Between August 2009 (the end of the recession in Rhode Island) and June 2014, DLT estimates that a total of 21,900 jobs have been added to the state’s economy, accounting for 55 percent of the total 39,800 jobs lost and 63.4 percent of the total 36,300 private sector jobs lost during the recession.

These employment gains have been distributed nearly evenly among high-wage, mid-wage and low-wage sectors, Fogarty said.

Over that same time period, 11 private employment sectors added employment totaling 24,300; two private sectors lost employment totaling 1,300; and two sectors’ employment levels remain even. The net private sector job gain during the recovery period is 23,000, DLT said.

Overall, of the 24,300 jobs added between August 2009 and June 2014, the increases were almost evenly split between low-, middle-, and high-wage paying sectors, the DLT said.

Among the 1,300 jobs lost between August 2009 and June 2014, the vast majority – 85 percent – were lost in high-wage sectors, DLT said, while the low-wage sector lost nothing.

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  1. For a more detailed picture of the overall situation; Try going to
    http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm and/or http://www.bls.gov/lau/stalt.htm One is updated monthly, the other one quarterly….jkp