BLS: R.I. had largest jobless rate drop in May

RHODE ISLAND had the largest year over year unemployment drop in May at 2 percentage points, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
RHODE ISLAND had the largest year over year unemployment drop in May at 2 percentage points, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island had the largest year over year unemployment drop in May at 2 percentage points, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Rhode Island, which had a jobless rate of 5.9 percent in May, was among 24 states with statistically significant unemployment rate decreases compared with May 2014, the federal agency said. The only significant over-the-year increase was in North Dakota at four-tenths of a percentage point.
The remaining states had rates that were not much different than a year earlier, the BLS said.
West Virginia had the highest jobless rate at 7.2 percent, while Nebraska had the lowest at 2.6 percent. The District of Columbia’s jobless rate was 7.3 percent. The national rate was 5.5 percent in May.
Including the District of Columbia, Rhode Island’s jobless rate puts it 37th among the states, or 15th highest.
Rhode Island also was among 20 states with statistically significant employment changes from April to May, as it gained 3,400 jobs, bringing the total to 484,700.
The largest significant over-the-month job gains occurred in California (+54,200), New York (+42,700) and Texas (+33,200), while significant job decreases occurred in North Dakota (-5,300), Nebraska (-4,800), Vermont (-2,100) and Wyoming (-1,900).

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