Jobless rate drops in Prov. metro in March

THE PROVIDENCE-Warwick metropolitan area saw its March jobless rate drop to 6.8 percent from 8.7 percent in March 2014, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
THE PROVIDENCE-Warwick metropolitan area saw its March jobless rate drop to 6.8 percent from 8.7 percent in March 2014, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

PROVIDENCE – Jobless rates were lower in March than a year earlier in 358 of the 387 metropolitan areas, including Providence-Warwick-Fall River which saw its rate drop to 6.8 percent from 8.7 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The national jobless rate was 5.6 percent in March, a decrease from 6.8 percent a year earlier.
Ames, Iowa, and Lincoln, Neb., had the lowest unemployment rates in March, at 2.3 percent each, while El Centro, Calif., had the highest unemployment rate at 19.9 percent.
Nonfarm payroll also increased over the year in 344 metropolitan areas, including the Providence metro, which experienced a 1.4 percent gain to 562,000 in March from 554,100.
The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif. (+168,500), while the largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Ocean City, N.J. (+7.8 percent).
The largest over-the-year decrease in employment occurred in Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Miss. (-2,700), and the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Great Falls, Mont. (-3.1 percent).
The number of unemployed in the Providence metro numbered 46,300 in March, a decrease of 12,900 from the year-ago period. The civilian labor force in March was 679,400, 2,500 more than in March 2014.

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