The Rhode Island Job Count Increases for the Seventh Straight Month
Jobless Rate Rises in April (pdf)

"The Rhode Island economy continued its steady growth as it added jobs for the seventh straight month in April," said Department of Labor and Training Director Adelita S. Orefice. "As the job market improves, it's not unusual for the unemployment rate to increase slightly as more people enter the labor force looking for work."

Rhode Island's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 4.7 percent, up two-tenths of a percentage point from the March estimate of 4.5 percent. The number of employed Rhode Island residents rose by 2,400 over the month, while the number of unemployed increased by 1,300 to 26,700 in April. A year ago, the unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, and the number of unemployed stood at 30,000. Nationally, the unemployment rate for April held steady at 5.2 percent and was down from 5.5 percent a year ago. Rhode Island's unemployment rate has remained below the national average since August 2001.

Rhode Island Job Highlights

Jobs at Rhode Island businesses increased by 700 (+0.1%) last month, bringing the April job count to 493,000 (seasonally adjusted). Revised March estimates indicated that jobs had actually gone up in March by 300 (preliminary figures showed a monthly drop of 100). That increase, coupled with the April gain, marked the seventh month of successive job gains.

Job growth was reported in several private sectors, including Trade, Transportation & Utilities (+600), Professional & Business Services (+400), Leisure & Hospitality (+200), Educational & Health Services (+100), and Construction (+100). The Manufacturing sector shed 800 jobs over the month, and employment in Financial Activities declined by 100. Government employment increased by 300 over the month.

Over the year, employment was up 6,300 (+1.3%) from the 486,700 jobs reported in April 2004. The largest job gains were noted in Professional & Business Services (+2,800); Educational & Health Services (+2,500); Leisure & Hospitality (+2,200); and Financial Activities (+1,100). The Manufacturing sector (-1,900) was the only sector to report a yearly decline. Government employment increased by 500 jobs.

Hours and Earnings

 

In April 2005, the $13.04 average hourly wage earned by the Manufacturing sector's production workers represented a monthly gain of five cents and an over-the-year gain of four cents. Manufacturing employees worked an average of 38.4 hours a week in April, up 0.5 of an hour over the month, but down 0.8 of an hour from last year.


Note: Current month figures are preliminary; prior month and year are revised.The unemployment figures are based largely on a survey of households in Rhode Island and measure the unemployment status of people who live in the state. The employment figures in the "Rhode Island Job Highlights" section are derived from a survey of businesses in Rhode Island and measure the number of jobs in the state.