Rhode Island Loses 3,700 Jobs, MA Gains 9,300 in September
Friday, October 20, 2017
The RI Department of Labor and Training announced Thursday that the state lost a significant number of jobs in September — RI was down 3,700 in just the past month.
Massachusetts added 9,300 jobs in September and is up 62,300 jobs in the 12 months since September 2016, according to the numbers released on Thursday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Commonwealth’s executive office of Labor and Workforce Development.
It was unclear if the numbers reflect the job loses due to the closing of Benny’s or Alexion — two Rhode Island companies that are closing operation and lay off hundreds. At Alexion, RI is losing 250 jobs and the company is moving the headquarters from New Haven, CT and consolidating a new headquarters in Boston, MA.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTEarlier this week, Care New England announced it was closing Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket. The closing will impact 827 employees and 603 full-time equivalents. The Memorial Hospital layoffs are likely to hit the job numbers later in the year.
In contrast, in Massachusetts Education and Health Services added 6,000 (+0.7%) jobs over the month. Over the year, Education and Health Services gained 26,500 (+3.4%) jobs.
The number of unemployed RI residents—those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment—was 23,200, down 500 from the August figure of 23,700. Over the year, the number of unemployed dropped by 5,800.
Massachusetts added 9,300 jobs in September and is up 62,300 jobs in the 12 months since September 2016, according to the numbers released on Thursday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Commonwealth’s executive office of Labor and Workforce Development.
"The unemployment rate remains low and Massachusetts has continued to add jobs in key economic sectors throughout 2017. These two measures are indicators of the strength of the Commonwealth's economy. By addressing skills gaps and talent shortages we'll help to ensure that all in the Commonwealth have access to high demand jobs," Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta said.
A total of 6,955 individuals collected Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in September 2017, down from 7,298 a year ago. This month, UI claimants accounted for 34.0 percent of the total unemployed.
The number of employed RI residents was 531,800, down 700 from the August figure of 532,500. Over the year, the number of employed RI residents was up 8,600 from September 2016.
The RI labor force totaled 555,000 in September 2017, down 1,300 from August 2017 and up 2,800 from September 2016.
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