PROVIDENCE – The unemployment rate in Rhode Island in October was 7%, down from 10.5% in September but still double what it was one year prior, the R.I. Department of Labor announced Thursday.
The United States unemployment rate was 6.9% in October, a decline from 7.9% in September and an increase from 3.6% one year prior.
The number of unemployed residents in Rhode Island was 503,500, a decline of 20,800 individuals month to month and a rise of 18,500 year over year. Meanwhile, the state labor force declined 18,400 from September to 541,300, remaining 15,600 fewer than in October 2019.
The number of employed Rhode Islanders totaled 503,500 in October, a rise of 2,400 month to month and a decline of 34,100 year over year.
Nonfarm payroll employment in the state totaled 468,400, a year over year decline of 36,300 and an increase of 1,700 from September.
Sector by sector employment changes:
- Health care and social assistance employment totaled 77,700, a decline of 5,100 year over year and a decline of 1,000 from September.
- Professional and business services employment totaled 63,500, a decline of 5,300 from October 2019 and an increase of 1,400 month to month.
- Government employment totaled 63,700, a decline of 2,100 year over year and a drop of 300 month to month.
- Retail trade employment totaled 46,200, a decline of 1,800 year over year, but a rise of 500 from September.
- Accommodation and food services employment in the state totaled 41,200, a decline of 10,900 year over year and an increase of 500 from September.
- Manufacturing employment totaled 38,800, a decline of 700 month to month and an increase of 100 from one month prior. Manufacturing production workers earned an average of $21,29 per hour, an increase of $2.08 from October 2019 and a 83 cent rise from September. Manufacturing employees worked an average of 36.9 hours per week in the month, a decline of 1.8 hours year over year and a decline of 0.8 hours from September.
- Financial activities employment totaled 35,400, an increase of 100 year over year and a decline of 200 month to month.
- Educational services employed 25,200, a decline of 1,400 year over year and an decline of 400 month to month.
- Other services employment totaled 19,300, a decline of 3,300 year over year and an increase of 300 from September.
- Construction employment totaled 19,100, a decline of 800 year over year and an increase of 400 month to month.
- Wholesale trade employment totaled 16,200, a decline of 400 year over year and an increase of 200 month to month.
- Transportation and utilities employment totaled 10,900, a 1,700 decline year over year, but an increase of 700 from September.
- Arts, entertainment and recreation employment declined 2,500 year over year to 5,500. Month to month, employment in the sector declined by 600.
- Information employment totaled 5,400, a decline of 400 year over year and an increase of 100 month to month.
- Mining and logging employment totaled 300, unchanged from October 2019 and one month prior.
