Pandemic sends R.I. unemployment rate skyrocketing to 17% in April

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island unemployment rate increased to 17% in April, 3.7 percentage points higher than the national average, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training said Thursday.

The unemployment rate has skyrocketed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One year prior, the state unemployment rate was 3.6%. Only one month ago, at the onset of the coronavirus-related economic shutdown, the unemployment rate was 4.7%. 

The number of unemployed Rhode Islanders in April totaled 90,300, a 70,200-person increase from April 2019. The number of employed Rhode Islanders declined by 93,900 year over year to 440,3000.

The state labor force declined 23,700 year over year to 530,600.

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Rhode Island-based jobs totaled 409,700, declining 94,800 from a year earlier. The figure was said to be the lowest since February 1984.

Nonfarm employment declined in every sector in the state except for wholesale trade, which increased slightly.

The following is a breakdown of employment by sector in Rhode Island (sorted by largest nominal change from April 2019):

  • Accommodation and food service employment declined 33,600 to 18,400.
  • Health care and social assistance jobs declined 14,500 to 67,600.
  • Professional and business services jobs declined 10,900 to 57,200.
  • Retail trade employment declined 8,700 to 39,500.
  • Other services employment declined 6,900 to 15,300.
  • Arts, entertainment and recreation employment declined 4,700 to 3,100.
  • Educational services employment declined 3,000 to 23,500.
  • Construction employment declined 2,800 to 17,400.
  • Manufacturing employment declined 2,600 to 37,200. Production workers earned an average of $19.71 per hour, a 28-cent increase from a year ago. Manufacturing employees average work week was 35.9 hours for the month, a 2.5-hour decline year over year. 
  • Transportation and utilities employment declined 2,200 to 10,300.
  • Financial activities employment declined 1,300 to 33,900.
  • Government employment declined 1,200 to 64,300.
  • Information sector employment declined 600 to 5,100.
  • Mining and logging employment remained unchanged at 200.
  • Wholesale trade employment increased 200 to 16,700.