Rhode Island manufacturing jobs created

Posted on September 2, 2016

New labor statistics show that Rhode Island manufacturing jobs were added this month.

The Manufacturing sector reported a gain of 300 jobs in June, regaining half of the 600 jobs lost in May. Manufacturing employment is up 800 from a year ago. The Accommodation & Food Services sector also added 300 jobs since May. This sector averaged a gain of 100 jobs during the first six months of the year and has 1,300 more workers now than a year ago.

Through the addition of 100 jobs in June, the Professional & Business Services sector reported positive job growth for four of the first six months this year, averaging a gain of 200 jobs per month. Employment within this sector is up 1,900 over the year.

Employment in Construction continued to trend down, shedding 600 jobs in June. This sector reported four consecutive months of job declines, totaling 2,000 jobs. Despite the recent downward trend, the number of jobs in the Construction sector is down just 100 over the year.

Educational Services employment fell by 500 over the month and is down 700 from a year ago.

Elsewhere, job declines were reported in the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (-200), Financial Activities (-200) and Transportation & Utilities (-100) sectors, while employment remained unchanged in Government and Mining & Logging.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in June 2016, up two-tenths of a percentage point from the previous month but down four-tenths of a percentage point over the year.

The number of unemployed RI residents—those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment—was 30,200, up 400 from the May figure of 29,800. Over the year, the number of unemployed dropped by 3,300.