The Rhode Island Labor Department is out with its latest unemployment report. It shows the state added 18 hundred jobs in the last month. The unemployment rate goes up a tenth of a point to two-point eight percent. The experts say that shows that the state economy continues to grow.
“Today’s news is encouraging, showing that jobs have increased by 2,500 over the month and that the state has regained nearly 92 percent of the jobs lost during the pandemic. In addition to historically-low unemployment rates, Rhode Island has one of the top-ranked economic recoveries in the nation and there are good-paying jobs still available,” Governor Dan McKee said.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in August, up two-tenths of a percentage point from July. The U.S. rate was 5.2 percent in August 2021.
State Labor officials say since the height of the pandemic, more than 84 thousand people have returned to the workforce.
The Government added 12 hundred jobs in August. Most of those were gained from local governments.
The Food Service Industry increased by 900 people.
The Construction sector added 400 jobs last month. Management added 300 new jobs. Educational Services another 100 as well.
The report also shows that in August Production jobs posted an hourly rate of $23.84, up twenty cents an hour.
Manufacturing employees worked an average of 40.6 hours per week in August, unchanged over the month, and up an hour and three-tenths from a year ago.
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