RI-Based Jobs Grew by 2,200 From December; January Unemployment Rate Rose to 3.6 Percent

RI-Based Jobs Grew by 2,200 From December; January Unemployment Rate Rose to 3.6 Percent

Rhode Island businesses added 2,200 jobs in January as the state’s unemployment rate rose to 3.6 percent, the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training announced on Thursday. 

Over the year, jobs were up 9,900 from January 2023, and the unemployment rate was up seven-tenths of a percentage point. 

The revised December jobs data revealed that Rhode Island had recovered all the 108,700 jobs lost during the pandemic shutdown.

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Rhode Island’s Labor Force

The January unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, up two-tenths of a percentage point from the December rate of 3.4 percent. Last year, the rate was 2.9 percent in January.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in January, unchanged from December. The U.S. rate was 3.4 percent in January 2023. 

The number of unemployed Rhode Island residents — those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment — was 20,900, up 1,300 from December. The number of unemployed residents was up 4,300 over the year.

Employment in Focus

The number of employed Rhode Island residents was 557,600, up 1,100 over the month and up 3,700 over the year. The Rhode Island labor force totaled 578,500 in January, up 2,300 over the month and up 8,000 from January 2023.

The labor force participation rate was 63.9 percent in January, up from 63.7 in December, and up from 63.4 in January 2023. Nationally, 62.5 percent of U.S. residents participated in the labor force.

Unemployment Insurance claims for first-time filers averaged 2,121 in January, up from 1,186 in December. Claims were up an average of 147 a week from January 2023 filings.