PROVIDENCE – The seasonally adjusted Rhode Island unemployment rate ticked up month to month for the first time since January 2018 according to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.
The measure closed out 2018 at 3.9 percent in December – a 0.1 percentage-point increase from November and a 0.6 percentage-point decline from December 2017.
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Rhode Island’s 3.9 percent unemployment was level with the United States unemployment rate in December. Nationally, December’s measure is 0.2 percentage points higher than November and a 0.2 percentage-point decrease from December 2017.
A total of 21,700 Rhode Islanders were unemployed in December, an additional 400 Rhode Island residents when compared with November figures. However, there were 3,400 fewer unemployed Rhode Islanders than there were in December 2017.
More than 9,000 individuals, 9,526 or 44.5 percent of the total unemployed, collected unemployment insurance benefits in December – a decrease of 937 people year over year.
Two hundred fewer Rhode Islanders were employed month to month in Rhode Island in December for a total 539,400 workers. The state’s number of employed workers increased 8,300 individuals from December 2017.
Last month, the labor force was increased by 100 individuals, compared to November, to 561,000 individuals and increased 4,700 people year over year.
Nonfarm payrolls in Rhode Island totaled 505,000 in December, reflecting an increase of 2,200 from the revised November count of 502,800. Nonfarm payrolls increased 7,100 year over year.
Below is a sector-by-sector breakdown of job trends among Rhode Island’s top industries in December and how they compare to November 2018 and December 2017. Of the 15 sectors tracked, seven saw job gains both month to month and year over year.
- Construction: 800 jobs were added in December and 900 were added since December 2017
- Other services: 600 jobs were added in December and 1,400 were added year over year
- Professional and business services: 600 jobs were gained last month and 1,400 were added since December 2017
- Educational services: 200 jobs were added in December and 900 were added year over year
- Accommodation and food services: 100 jobs were added in December and employment increased 1,100 jobs since December 2017
- Government: 100 jobs were added last month while the sector lost 100 jobs year over year
- Health care and social assistance: 100 jobs were added in December and 700 were added since December 2017
- Retail trade: 100 jobs were added last month and 1,600 were added year over year
- Wholesale trade: Employment declined 200 jobs in December but 200 had been added since December 2017
- Information: Employment declined 100 jobs in December but the sector had added 100 year over year
- Manufacturing: 100 jobs were lost in December and employment declined 600 year over year
- Arts, entertainment and recreation: employment remained unchanged month to month while the sector lost 200 jobs since December 2017
- Transportation and utilities: employment remained unchanged month to month while the sector lost 300 jobs since December 2017
Employment in both the financial activities and mining and logging sectors remained unchanged month to month and year over year.
In December 2018, the state’s manufacturing sector production employees earned $18.76 per hour – an increase of 9 cents from November yet a loss of 29 cents from December 2017. Those individuals worked an average 40.6 hours per week in December – 18 minutes more than in November but a loss of an hour and 12 minutes year over year.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
