Seven Months of Rhode Island Job Losses
Posted on September 11, 2008
Throughout the past seven months many Rhode Island jobs have been lost.
During July, the State of Rhode Island employed 480,600 workers, a 1,700, or 2.6 percent, job decrease from June’s employment of 482,300, according to an article by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. This is the seventh month in a row the state has lost jobs. Rhode Island’s unemployment rate rose to 7.7 percent, the state’s highest since September 1993.
The number of unemployed residents who were actively seeking employment increased to 44,300, up from 15,300 last year. The number of employed residents was at 528,900, down 600 from June and down 18,200 from last year.
Industries in Rhode Island that saw a decrease in employment in July include:
- natural resources and mining by 33.3 percent
- construction by 5 percent
- manufacturing by 6.1 percent
- financial activities by 3.8 percent
- professional and business services by 3.6 percent
- trade, transportation and utilities by 3.6 percent
- leisure and hospitality by 1.4 percent
- government by 2.5 percent
The only industries that saw an increase in employment were information by 3.8 percent and education and health services by .4 percent.
From July 2007, Rhode Island lost 13,000 jobs, or 2.6 percent of its workforce. The industries that saw the largest annual employment decreases included: manufacturing by 3,100; retail trade by 2,100; professional and business services by 2,000; government by 1,600; financial activities by 1,300; construction by 1,100 and other services by 1,000. Other industries that lost jobs over the year include: transportation and utilities by 500; accommodation and food services by 400; arts, entertainment and recreation by 300; wholesale trade by 300 and natural resources and mining by 100.
The only two industries to see an over-the-year job gain were information and educational services, each adding 400 jobs. Employment in the healthcare and social assistance industry remained the same.
