PROVIDENCE – The unemployment rate in Rhode Island was 3.4% in January, a decline from 3.7% one year prior, R.I. Department of Labor and Training announced on Thursday. December 2019 unemployment was 3.5%.
The United States unemployment rate was 3.6% in January, a decline from 4% in January 2019.
The number of employed Rhode Islanders increased 4,200 year over year to 538,600 in January. In that time, the number of unemployed in the state declined by 1,600, to 18,900.
In January, 11,607 individuals filed for Unemployment Insurance benefits, a decrease of 1,066 from the 12,673 filed one year ago, the DLT said.
The labor force in the state increased 2,700 year over year to 557,500 for the month.
Nonfarm employment in Rhode Island increased 1,700 over the year to 505,500.
Nonfarm employment by job sector in the state in January (in order of number of employed):
- Health care and social assistance employed 83,000, a 1,200-worker increase year over year.
- Professional and business services employed 68,200, a 500-worker decline year over year.
- Government employment increased by 1,000 year over year to 65,900.
- Accommodation and food services employed 53,100, a 700-person increase year over year.
- Retail trade employed 48,400, a 300-worker decline year over year.
- Manufacturing employed 39,300, a 700-worker decline year over year. Manufacturing production workers earned $19.12 per hour in the month, a 45 cent decline from one year prior. Workers in the sector worked an average of 37.2 hours per week a 0.9 hour decline over the year.
- The financial-activities sector employed 35,400, a 300-worker increase year over year.
- Educational services employed 26,400, unchanged from one year prior.
- Other services employed 22,200, a decline of 1,100 jobs year over year.
- Construction employment as 19,500, a 600-worker decline year over year.
- Wholesale trade employed 17,000 workers, a 500-worker increase year over year.
- Transportation and utilities employed 13,100, an 800-worker increase year over year.
- Arts and recreation employed 8,000 in the state a 500-worker increase year over year.
- The Information sector employed 5,800 workers, a 100-job decline year over year.
- Mining and logging employed 200 workers, an increase from 100 workers one year prior.
