CRANSTON – Rhode Island’s seasonally adjusted unemployment in January was 3.6%, two-tenths of a percentage point higher than the previous month, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training said Thursday.
The DLT says the number of unemployed Rhode Islanders in January was 20,900, up 1,300 from December and 4,300 from a year ago. Also, the number of employed residents was at 557,600 as of January, up 1,100 from the previous month and up 3,700 more than January 2023, according to the DLT.
Overall, the state’s labor force was 578,500 in January, up 2,300 from December and 8,000 from January 2023, the DLT said. Rhode Island’s unemployment rate in January 2023 was 2.9%.
The state’s total nonfarm jobs in January totaled 511,300 ,the highest job count on record, according to the DLT. It was also an increase of 2,200 from December and up 9,900 from January 2023. These jobs exclude farming and some government, private and nonprofit workers.
Also, the DLT said that with the revised jobs data from December, the state’s economy has recovered all of the 108,700 jobs lost during the pandemic shutdown.
Over the past three months, the state’s economy has added 6,900 jobs, an average of 2,300 jobs per month, according to the DLT report.
The accommodation and food services and health care and social assistance sectors added 1,200 and 800 jobs, respectively, in January, with each sector establishing peak employment levels.
The government sector reported a loss of 1,100 jobs in January stemming from large losses reported within state government.
Seasonally adjusted nonfarm payrolls in Rhode Island by sector in December:
- Accommodation and food services: 54,000, an increase of 1,200 since December and a gain of 3,500 year over year.
- Administrative and waste services: 29,200, an increase of 500 since December but a loss of 100 year over year.
- Arts, entertainment and recreation: 8,700, a loss of 100 since December but a gain of 1,000 year over year.
- Construction: 21,400, an increase of 400 from December but down 300 year over year.
- Educational services: 26,400, same as December but down 300 year over year.
- Finance and insurance: 28,500, up 100 from December but down 100 a year over year.
- Government: 64,200, down 1,100 from December but up 1,000 year over year.
- Health care and social assistance: 85,000, an increase of 800 from December and 4,500 year over year.
- Information: same as December but down 300 year over year.
- Management of companies and enterprises: 10,800, same as December but down 300 year over year.
- Manufacturing: 40,800, an increase of 500 since December and 200 year over year. Production workers in the sector earned $26.49 per hour in January, up 78 cents from December and $2.71 cents since January 2023.
- Professional, scientific and technical services: 30,500, up 300 from December and a gain of 700 year over year.
- Real estate, rental and leasing: 6,500, down 300 from December but same as January 2023.
(UPDATE: Corrects R.I. monthly employment rate jumped two-tenths of percentage point from December to January)
