Rhode Island unemployment increases

Posted on October 10, 2016

The Rhode Island unemployment rate has increased, according to recent employment data.

The RI Department of Labor and Training announced that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August 2016 was 5.6 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from the July rate. Over the year, the unemployment rate is down two-tenths of a percentage point from the August 2015 rate.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in August 2016, unchanged from the previous month and down two-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 30,900, up 400 from the July figure of 30,500. Over the year, the number of unemployed dropped by 1,000.

A total of 10,497 individuals collected Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in August 2016,* down from 11,009 a year ago. This month, UI claimants accounted for 32.2 percent of the total unemployed.

The number of employed RI residents was 525,800, up 1,100 from the July figure of 524,700. Over the year, the number of employed RI residents was up 3,100 from August 2015.

The RI labor force totaled 556,800 in August 2016, up 1,600 from July 2016 and up 2,200 from August 2015.