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Our unemployment rate in December 2011 was 10.8 percent, up three-tenth of a percentage point from November. |
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Total jobs in Rhode Island declined in December by 600 from November’s revised employment level (459,300). |
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In December 2011, the number of unemployed RI residents increased by 1,600 from November to 60,800, the second consecutive over-the-month increase. |
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The number of RI residents employed in December 2011 remained at the November level of 503,400. |
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The December 2011 jobless rate was down seven-tenths of a percentage point from the December 2010 rate of 11.5 percent. The number of unemployed was 5,400 below the year-ago level. |
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The number of employed RI residents was down 7,700 from the December 2010 level. |
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Since December 2006 (peak employment in Rhode Island) private sector jobs are down 32,400, a decline of 7.5 percent. |
RI MONTHLY JOB CHANGES (seasonally adjusted)
The total job count in Rhode Island decreased by 600 from November’s revised level to 458,700 in December, as four of the ten major industry super sectors showed job losses. On the national level, US payroll employment increased by 200,000 in December. |
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In Rhode Island, job gains were noted in Leisure & Hospitality (+500), Manufacturing (+400), Financial Activities (+300) and Professional & Business Services (+300). Information and Government were unchanged. |
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In Rhode Island, job losses were felt in Trade, Transportation & Utilities (-700), Education & Health Services (-500), Construction (-500) and Other Services (-400). |
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The US economy added 200,000 in December. Job gains were in Trade, Transportation & Utilities (+90,000), Education & Health Services (+29,000), Manufacturing (+23,000), Leisure & Hospitality (+21,000), Construction (+17,000), Professional & Business Services (+12,000), Information (+6,000), Other Services (+4,000) and Financial Activities (+2,000) while job losses were in Government (-12,000). |
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Compared to December 2010, RI jobs were up 500. Four of the ten super sectors showed over-the-year job gains: Professional & Business Services (+1,400), Construction (+900), Trade, Transportation & Utilities (+600) and Education & Health Services (+400). |
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Over the year, job losses were reported in Government (-1,400), Other Services (-800), Manufacturing (-300), Financial Activities (-100), Leisure & Hospitality (-100) and Information (-100). |
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Through December 2011, Rhode Island had a net loss of 37,800 total jobs from December 2006, the peak in RI employment. Of the super sectors, Manufacturing had the largest loss (-11,600), followed by Construction (-7,200), Financial Activities (-6,000), Government (-5,400), Trade, Transportation & Utilities (-5,400), Professional & Business Services (-2,900), Other Services (-1,700), Leisure & Hospitality (-900) and Information (-500). |
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Education & Health Services (+3,900) was the only super sector to show a net gain since December 2006. |
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RI’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December was up three-tenth of a percentage point from the November 2011 level of 10.5 percent. RI’s December unemployment rate was 2.3 percentage points above the US rate (8.5 percent). |
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RI’s jobless rate in December 2011 was up three-tenth of a percentage point from the prior month’s level of 10.5 percent. The December rate was down three-tenths of a percentage point from last December. |
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In December, RI’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate (10.8%) was 2.3 percentage points above the US rate of 8.5 percent. The US rate was down two-tenths of a percentage point over the month. |
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The number of employed RI residents was unchanged from the November level of 503,400 but was down 7,700 from December 2010.
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Our labor force (+1,500) increase in December is due entirely to the increase in the number of unemployed (+1,600). |
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RI's unemployment rate for November 2011 (10.5%) was above the rates for both Massachusetts (7.0%) and Connecticut (8.4%). (December data for MA and CT are not yet available.) |
The number of RI residents classified as unemployed increased by 1,600 in December to 60,800. |
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The number of unemployed residents in Rhode Island increased by 1,600 in December to 60,800, the second consecutive over-the-month increase in the number of unemployed. |
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For the fourteenth straight month, the number of unemployed RI residents was lower than its respective prior year level. |
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The number of unemployed RI residents was down 5,400 from the December 2010 level. |
Our Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims levels for 2011 have fallen below the 2010 levels, indicating an improvement in the Rhode Island economy. |
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RI Initial Claims for unemployment benefits for calendar year 2011 were 6.1 percent below calendar year 2010. They were down 11.8 percent in 2010 from 2009 levels during the same period. |
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US Initial Claims were down 10.3 percent over the first 51 weeks of 2011 compared to 2010. They were down 20.6 percent in 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. |
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The number of RI Continued Claims for calendar year 2011 – those individuals who are collecting unemployment benefits – was 10.0 percent below calendar year 2010. The 2010 levels were down 18.9 percent from 2009 levels. |
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US Continued Claims decreased 17.2 percent over the first 51 weeks of 2011 compared to 2010. They were down 22.9 percent in 2010 from 2009. |
NOTE: The pattern in RI claims data for the first quarter of 2009 was skewed by the delays in processing UI claims over the winter months. Claims and payments are not counted until they are entered into the system, so the increases shown for the first quarter of 2009 are misleading.
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The number of Final Payments for those on the regular UI program was down 11.6 percent for calendar year 2011 when compared to calendar year 2010. It was down 18.2 percent in 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.
Since the onset of UI benefits extensions, 2,317,668 payments have been issued under the federal extension (EUC-08) and 441,059 payments have been issued under the federal-state extension (EB). |
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RI's Insured Unemployment Rate of 3.28 percent (the number of individuals collecting as a percentage of covered employment) for the last week of December 2011 was below our 2008, 2009 and 2010 levels. |
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RI’s Insured Unemployment Rate was 12.89 percent below the prior two-year average in the last week of December. |
OTHER LOCAL ECONOMIC ITEMS IN THE NEWS
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Jordan’s Furniture opened in the Warwick Mall on December 21st, the furniture store’s fifth location and first in Rhode Island. (Providence Journal, 12/13/11 and Jordan’s Furniture web site) |
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Bristol Marine, a boat repair and storage facility, has purchased J&J Marine of Somerset. The acquisition will create as many as 50 new jobs in Somerset and 10 in Bristol. (Providence Journal, 12/23/11) |
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Wide World of Indoor Sports is scheduled to open a 76,000 square foot indoor complex in Quonset in August 2012. The complex is expected to employ 85 full- or part-time employees. (Providence Journal, 12/27/11) |
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Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) will eliminate 30 non-driving positions early in 2012 in an effort to close a $4.6 million deficit. However, RIPTA also plans to add 20 drivers by April 2012. (NBC10 News, 12/19/11) |
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Downcity Restaurant on Weybosset St in Providence has closed. The restaurant, which was featured on “Kitchen Nightmares” in March 2011, had been struggling financially. (Providence Journal, 12/12/11) |
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Providence Community Action Program (ProCAP) has fired twenty of its fifty-five employees to reduce its payroll expenses. The anti-poverty agency had filed for receivership two days before the December 16th firings. (Providence Journal, 12/16/11) |
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J.A. Siravo Fruit & Produce in Providence has closed. The company says it can no longer compete with larger stores. (NBC10 News, 12/22/11) |
