BLS: Jobless rate fell in Prov. metro in May to 5%

THE JOBLESS RATE fell to 5 percent, almost a full percentage point over the year in May in the Providence-Warwick-Fall River metropolitan area, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week.
THE JOBLESS RATE fell to 5 percent, almost a full percentage point over the year in May in the Providence-Warwick-Fall River metropolitan area, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week.

PROVIDENCE – Jobless rates fell in 333 of the 387 metropolitan areas nationwide over the year in May, including in the Providence-Warwick-Fall River metropolitan area, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week. In the remaining 54 areas, the unemployment rate was higher in 49, and unchanged in five, according to the agency.

In the Providence metro, the jobless rate fell to 5 percent from 5.9 percent a year earlier.

The lowest unemployment rates in May were in Ames, Iowa; Burlington-South Burlington, Vt.; and Sioux Falls, S.D., at 2.1 percent each.
Yuma, Ariz., had the highest unemployment rate at 20.9 percent. A total of 187 areas had May jobless rates above the U.S. rate of 4.5 percent, including the Providence metro.
In addition, 311 metropolitan areas, including the Providence metro, had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, while 70 had declines and six had no change.
Nonfarm payroll employment grew to 585,100 in the Providence metro in May, a 0.3 percent year-over-year increase of 1,900 workers.
The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif., at 154,500, while the largest percentage gain was in St. George, Utah, at 7.1 percent. The largest over-the-year employment decrease was in Lafayette, La., at 8,100, while the largest over-the-year percentage decrease was in Casper, Wyo., at 6.6 percent.

In the Providence metro, the civilian labor force declined to 673,950 in May, compared with a civilian labor force of 678,924 in May 2015. The number of unemployed fell to 34,017 in May, compared with 40,030 in May 2015.

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Data was not seasonally adjusted, the BLS said.

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