PROVIDENCE – The Providence-Warwick-Fall River metropolitan area unemployment rate was 4 percent in April, in line with the state unemployment rate at the time, both declining 0.1 percentage points year over year, not seasonally adjusted, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Wednesday.
The number of unemployed in the metro area declined by 164 year over year to 27,813 while the civilian labor force increased 11,692 year over year to 688,928.
In a separate report, the Associated General Contractors of America said that construction employment in the Providence metro area increased 300 jobs to 22,900 in the same time frame.
The national unemployment rate in the United States in April was 3.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted.
Nonfarm payrolls in the Providence metro area totaled 594,300, 8,800 higher than April 2017 payrolls, non-seasonally adjusted.
The BLS said that unemployment rates were lower in April year over year in 305 of 388 metro areas, higher in 63 and unchanged in 20.
In the New Bedford metro area, the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined 0.3 percentage points to 5 percent in April, compared with the Massachusetts unemployment rate, which was 3.3 percent at that time.
The number of unemployed in the New Bedford metro declined 148 year over year to 4,302, while the workforce increased by 2,007 to 86,373. Nonfarm payrolls in the area totaled 68,200, 600 more than in April 2017.
The ACGA said that the construction employment growth rate in the New Bedford metro was the third highest in the country in April, increasing 20 percent year over year, accounting for a 500-job uptick to 3,000 jobs, not seasonally adjusted. Midland, Texas, ranked No. 1 for construction employment growth rate at 31 percent year over year in April, gaining 8,000 to 34,200.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
