Providence-Warwick among metro areas with major jobless rate dips in April

THE PROVIDENCE-Warwick metropolitan area was among 344 out of 387 metropolitan areas that had April jobless rates lower than they were a year earlier at 5.5 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
THE PROVIDENCE-Warwick metropolitan area was among 344 out of 387 metropolitan areas that had April jobless rates lower than they were a year earlier at 5.5 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

PROVIDENCE – The Providence-Warwick metropolitan area was among 344 out of 387 metropolitan areas that had April jobless rates lower than they were a year earlier at 5.5 percent, a drop of 2.2 percentage points from April 2014, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The rate remains above April’s national unemployment rate of 5.1 percent. That rate decreased eight-tenths of a percentage point from a year earlier.

Fifteen areas, including Providence-Warwick, had rate decreases of at least 2 percentage points. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Mich., had the largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease in April at 2.7 percentage points. Lafayette, La., had the largest over-the-year jobless rate increase at 1.9 percentage points.

The lowest jobless rate in the nation in April was in Lincoln, Neb., at 2.1 percent, while the highest rate was in Yuma, Ariz. at 22.2 percent.

The Providence-Warwick metropolitan area’s labor force also grew to 677,800 in April from 675,600 in April 2014. The number of unemployed dropped to 37,400 from 52,300 year over year in the Providence metro.

- Advertisement -

Also in April, 330 metropolitan areas had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 46 had decreases, and 11 had no change. Providence-Warwick was among the areas that had an increase, with nonfarm payroll employment at 571,400, an increase of 6,700, or 1.2 percent, year over year.

The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif., with 160,100 jobs, while the largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Lake Charles, La. with 7.8 percent.

The largest over-the-year decrease in employment occurred in Peoria, Ill. with 3,100, while the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Great Falls, Mont., 2.8 percent.

No posts to display