Construction jobs in Rhode Island tick up

Posted on August 8, 2017

New labor reports show that construction jobs in Rhode Island have increased.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June 2017 was 4.2 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from the May rate. Over the year, the unemployment rate is down one and two-tenths percentage points from the June 2016 rate of 5.4 percent.

The number of unemployed RI residents—those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment—was 23,300, up 400 from the May figure of 22,900. Over the year, the number of unemployed dropped by 6,800.

A total of 9,107 individuals collected Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in June 2017,^* down from 9,800 a year ago. This month, UI claimants accounted for 39.2 percent of the total unemployed.

The number of employed RI residents was 533,300, up 400 from the May figure of 532,900. Over the year, the number of employed RI residents was up 10,700 from June 2016.

The RI labor force totaled 556,500 in June 2017, up 700 from May 2017 and up 3,800 from June 2016.

Six employment sectors reported job declines in June, led by the Health Care & Social Assistance sector which lost 700 jobs.

Employment decreases were noted in the ambulatory health care services subsector. Despite this sharp decline, the number of jobs in the Health Care & Social Assistance industry is up 200 over the last 12 months.