CRANSTON – Rhode Island-based jobs fell by 2,400 between May and June – the largest monthly decline since April 2023 – but the state's unemployment rate still declined slightly to 4.8% last month, in part because more Rhode Islanders were employed, according to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.
The number of employed residents was 559,900 in June, up 200 from the previous month, while the state's labor force – those either employed or looking for work – stood at 587,400 in June, down 200 from May, according to DLT labor data.
As a result, the DLT said the number of unemployed Rhode Islanders in June was 28,400, down 400 from May, lowering the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate from 4.9% in May to 4.8%.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% in June, down from 4.2% the previous month, according to the DLT.
The Rhode Island jobless rate was 4.4% in June 2024, while the U.S. rate was 4.1%.
The DLT said Rhode Island's accommodation and food services sector took the biggest hit, losing 1,200 jobs in June as hiring fell short of seasonal expectations.
A decline in health care and social assistance of 700 jobs month over month could be attributed, in part, to a labor dispute, the DLT said, an apparent reference to a strike at Butler Hospital.
The DLT said the number of unemployed Rhode Islanders in June, while down from May, was up 2,600 from a year ago. And the number of employed residents, while up from May, was down 6,900 year over year, the DLT said.
The total of Rhode Island nonfarm jobs in June was 513,200. Year over year, total nonfarm jobs are down 400 or 0.1%.
Seasonally adjusted nonfarm payrolls in Rhode Island by sector in June:
Accommodation and food services: 51,400, a decrease of 1,200 since April and 500 year over year.
Educational services: 27,000, down 900 since May and 1,300 year over year.
Health care and social assistance: 85,800, a decrease of 700 since May but up 500 year over year.
Government: 65,300, down 400 from May and 1,600 year over year.
Arts, entertainment and recreation: 7,700, down 300 from May and 1,100 year over year.
Administrative and waste services: 29,600, a decrease of 100 since May but an increase of 1,300 year over year.
Finance and insurance: 28,200, down 100 since May and 400 year over year.
Information: 5,500, up 100 since May but down 100 year over year.
Management of companies and enterprises: 10,200, down 100 since May and 100 year over year.
Manufacturing: 40,000, down 100 from May and 100 year over year. Production workers in the sector earned $25.46 per hour in June, the same as May but up 9 cents from June 2024.
Professional, scientific and technical services: 32,400, up 200 from May and 1,500 year over year.
Construction: 22,700, up 300 from May and 600 year over year.
