PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s unemployment rate remained the highest of all New England states in November, but also experienced the greatest percentage point decline over the year.
The New England Information Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Rhode Island’s jobless rate of 7.1 percent was the fifth-highest in the nation, and greater than the New England and national unemployment rates of 5.8 percent. In November 2013, the New England jobless rate was 7 percent, and Rhode Island’s was 9 percent.
The bureau said three New England states posted jobless rates that were significantly different from that of the national rate: New Hampshire, 4.1 percent; Vermont, 4.3 percent; and Rhode Island, 7.1 percent.
In November, no New England state had a statistically significant unemployment rate change from October. The U.S. rate also was unchanged at 5.8 percent, the bureau said.
In November, the District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 7.4 percent, followed by Mississippi, 7.3 percent; Georgia and California, at 7.2 percent; and Rhode Island, 7.1 percent.
Maine’s unemployment rate was 5.7 percent; Massachusetts’ unemployment rate was 5.8 percent and Connecticut, 6.5 percent.
For a more detailed analysis of the employment/underemployment/ unemployment situation;
Refer to The Bureau Of Labor Statistics;
http://www.bls.gov/lau/stalt.htm …which is updated quarterly…
as of 10/24/2014, Rhode Island’s Employment/Unemployment Rate
of measurement at Level U6 is: FOURTEEN POINT FOUR PER CENT (14.4%)
(and is scheduled to be up-dated this coming January 30th)
and as of 01/09/2015 the National Employment/Unemployment Rate of measurement
at Level U6 is: ELEVEN POINT TWO PERCENT (11.2%)
(further details at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm
which is updated monthly; (Note that is has ONLY gone down by
TWO TENTHS OF ONE PERCENT since last month’s report)…..jkp