Jobless rates rise in January in Providence,
New Bedford metropolitan areas

WASHINGTON – In an exaggeration of the national trend, the unemployment rate in the Providence-Fall River-Warwick metropolitan area increased to 7.1 percent in January from 5.3 percent in December and 6.1 percent in January 2007, according to a report today from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Providence metro region’s civilian labor force (based on place of residence) shrank slightly to 710,300 workers last month from December’s revised 712,700 and January 2007’s 715,200. Payroll employment (based on place of work) fell to 565,900 jobs – from December’s downwardly-revised 586,200 jobs – to 1.0 percent below the year-ago period’s 571,900.

In the New Bedford metro area, the unemployment rate in January was 8.6 percent, a sharp increase from December’s 6.2 percent and November’s 5.5 percent but a slight decline from January 2007’s 8.7 percent.

The New Bedford region’s civilian labor force increased slightly to 84,200 local workers from the previous month’s downwardly revised 83,900 but remained below the January 2007 level of 85,600 workers. Employment on local payrolls fell to 64,400 jobs in January – from December’s downwardly revised 67,100 – to 1.5 percent below the year-ago 65,400 jobs.

Meanwhile, the Rhode Island unemployment rose to 7.0 percent in January from its month-ago rate of 5.2 percent and year-ago rate of 5.8 percent, the bureau said. The Massachusetts jobless rate rose to 5.2 percent from December’s 4.1 percent but remained below the December 2006 level of 5.5 percent.

The U.S. unemployment rate in January was 5.4 percent before seasonal adjustment, up from 4.8 percent in December and 5.0 percent a year ago, the BLS said.

Jobless rates were higher in January than a year earlier in 234 of 369 metropolitan areas nationwide, lower in 111 and unchanged in 24. Metro-area unemployment rates ranged from 2.4 percent in Logan, Utah-Idaho, to 16.5 percent in heavily agricultural El Centro, Calif.

Additional information, including the 22-page Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment report, is available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics at www.bls.gov.