R.I. unemployment rate holds at 3.5% in Dec.

PROVIDENCE – The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Rhode Island was 3.5% in December, a 0.5 percentage point decline year over year, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training said Thursday.

The state unemployment rate remained unchanged from November.

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The state unemployment rate was level with the national rate for the month, which had declined from 3.9% in December 2018.

Nonfarm employment in the state increased 8,600 year over year to 506,300. Employed Rhode Islanders totaled 539,100 in that time, a 5,000-person increase year over year.

The number of unemployed Rhode Islanders was 19,4000, a 2,800-person decline year over year.

Filings for unemployment insurance for the month totaled 9,342, a decline of 154 filings from the previous year. Unemployment insurance claimants accounted for 51.9% of the total unemployed.

The Rhode Island labor force, meanwhile, increased 2,300 over the year to 558,500.

The following is a breakdown of nonfarm employment by sector in Rhode Island:

• Health care and social assistance: Employed 84,400, an increase 3,000 year over year.
• Professional and business services: Employed 69,500, an increase of 300 from December 2018.
• Government: Employed 61,500 workers, a 200-person increase from December 2018
• Accommodation and food services: Employed 50,700, an increase of 2,100 workers year over year.
• Retail trade: Employed 48,800, a decline of 600 year over year.
• Manufacturing: Employed 39,200, a decline of 300 workers year over year. Average manufacturing working hours totaled 38.6 per week, a 2.6 hour decline from December 2018. Production workers earned an average of $19.21 per hour, a 17-cent increase year over year.
• Financial activities: Employed 35,900, a 600-worker increase year over year.
• Education services: Employed 25,200, a 200-worker increase over the year.
• Other services: Employed 23,500, a 100-worker decline year over year.
• Construction: Employed 19,200 workers, a 300-worker decline from December 2018.
• Wholesale trade: Employed 17,700 workers, an increase of 1,400 workers over the year.
• Transportation and utilities: Employed 13,700 workers, a 1,200-employee increase year over year.
• Arts, entertainment and recreation: Employed 9,600 in the state, a 900-worker increase from December 2018.
• Information: Employed 6,200 workers, a 300-worker increase year over year.
• Mining and logging employed 200 workers, unchanged from the previous year.