RI Adds 1,000 Jobs in November, Unemployment Dips to 3.5%

RI Adds 1,000 Jobs in November, Unemployment Dips to 3.5%

Rhode Island added 1,000 jobs during the month of November, while unemployment slipped to 3.5 percent, announced the RI Department of Labor and Training on Thursday.

RI Adds Jobs

Rhode Island’s nonfarm job count in November was 506,700, an increase of 1,000 jobs from the revised October number of 505,700.

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Through November, the state has added 9,000 jobs so far in 2019, an average gain of 800 jobs per month.

Since last November, Rhode Island-based jobs are up 10,700.

The number of employed Rhode Island residents was 538,000, up 1,500 from October. Over the year, the number of employed Rhode Island residents was up 3,900 from November 2018 (534,100).

The Rhode Island labor force totaled 557,600 in November of 2019, up 1,300 from October of 2019 and up 1,400 from November of  2018 (556,200). 

Unemployment Rate Dips

RI’s unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in November, down one-tenth of a percentage point from October.

Over the year, the unemployment rate is down half of a percentage point from the November 2018 rate of 4.0 percent.

The number of unemployed Rhode Island residents was 19,600, down 300 from October. Over the year, the number of unemployed decreased by 2,600.

A total of 6,636 individuals filed for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in November 2019*, an increase of 204 from the 6,434 filed a year ago.

This month, UI claimants accounted for 36.9 percent of the total unemployed.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in November of 2019.

PHOTO: Phil Whitehouse/Flickr Commons