Construction jobs in RI growing?

Posted on March 30, 2015

The state may have seen some growth of construction jobs in Rhode Island, according to the latest stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Construction added 29,000 jobs in February. Employment in specialty trade contractors rose by 27,000, mostly in the residential component. Over the past 12 months, construction has added 321,000 jobs.

In February, employment in health care rose by 24,000, with gains in ambulatory care services (+20,000) and hospitals (+9,000). Health care had added an average of 29,000 jobs per month over the prior 12 months.

Transportation and warehousing added 19,000 jobs in February, with most of the gain occurring in couriers and messengers (+12,000). Employment in transportation and warehousing grew by an average of 14,000 per month over the prior 12 months.

Employment in retail trade continued to trend up in February (+32,000) and has grown by 319,000 over the year.

Manufacturing employment continued to trend up in February (+8,000). Within the industry, petroleum and coal products lost 6,000 jobs, largely due to a strike.

Employment in mining decreased by 9,000 in February, with most of the decline in support activities for mining (-7,000).

Employment in other major industries, including wholesale trade, information, financial activities, and government, showed little change over the month.

Employment increased by 295,000 in February, and the unemployment rate edged down to 5.5 percent