Rhode Island Lost Jobs, Massachusetts Added a Lot of Jobs

Rhode Island Lost Jobs, Massachusetts Added a Lot of Jobs

In Massachusetts, the job market is getting stronger. The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) released Massachusetts unemployment and job estimates for April 2026, with preliminary data indicating that payroll jobs increased by 8,500 for the month, following a revised increase of 7,200 jobs in March.

 

A total increase of 15,700 in two months.

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Massachusetts has added more than 21,600 payroll jobs, including 19,600 private sector jobs, since September and has outpaced the country over the past 6 months. Preliminary data also show the April unemployment rate remained at 4.7%, and the labor force participation rate decreased slightly to 65.6%.

 

BLS categories with the strongest growth month-over-month for Massachusetts employment in April include 1) Construction (+3,100), 2) Private Education and Health Services (+1,900), and 3) Professional and Business Services (+1,400) gained jobs.

 

“The recent period of employment expansion continued in April, outpacing the rest of the country, with most sectors gaining jobs,” said EOLWD’s Department of Economic Research Chief Economist Mark Rembert. “Job postings activity remains strong across sectors, with encouraging signals that the Commonwealth’s high-tech industries are seeking more workers as well.”

 

Key takeaways from the monthly jobs and employment report

• The Massachusetts unemployment rate in April remained at 4.7% percent. The national unemployment rate is 4.3%.
• The state’s labor force participation rate decreased slightly to 65.6%. Retirement continues to be a primary driver for the decline in the Labor Force Participation Rate, while the Labor Force Participation Rate for workers 25-54 is 86.7%, its highest level in 10 years.
• The labor force decreased in April by 11,700 with 9,600 fewer people employed and 2,200 fewer unemployed. This includes individuals who have retired or left the workforce for other reasons, and individuals who are self-employed and entrepreneurs. 

 

Rhode Island, Not So Strong

Jobs at Rhode Island businesses fell by 500 in April as the state’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.5 percent. Over the year, jobs were down 2,600 from April 2025, and the unemployment rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point.

 

The April unemployment rate was 4.5 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from the March rate. Last year, the rate was 4.4 percent in April.

 

The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in April, unchanged from March. The U.S. rate was 4.2 percent in April 2025. 

 

URI economist Leonard Lardaro said about the April Rhode Island economy and his tool to measure the strength of the economy, "Once again, the Current Conditions Index remained stuck at a contraction value. The CCI for April was once again 42, as only five of twelve indicators improved relative to a year ago."

"While that appears at first glance to be somewhat depressing, things are not as bad as they first appear. First, not all 42’s are the same. As those values go, April saw a number of positives, improvements from earlier months. Second, Rhode Island’s household survey data, which appears to be falling off a cliff, is very likely inaccurate. While Rhode Island’s labor data for 2024 showed growth rates much higher than the US overall, the official data show that we have now moved well below the comparable US growth rates, with incredibly negative values for the last two months. My interpretation is that the household survey data for Rhode Island are in the process of right-sizing, moving our numbers back to where they would have been absent the abnormal 2023 growth rates," said Lardaro.

 

The number of unemployed Rhode Island residents — those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment — was 26,500, down 900 from March. The number of unemployed residents was up 100 over the year.

 

Down 10,700 from the Previous Year

The number of employed Rhode Island residents was 557,400, down 2,400 from the previous month and 10,700 from the previous year.

  

The Rhode Island labor force totaled 583,900 in April, down 3,300 over the month and down 10,600 from April 2025.

 

Unemployment Insurance claims* for first-time filers averaged 661 in April, down from 1,457 in March. Claims were down an average of 118 a week from April 2026.

 

 

April Nonfarm Payroll Notes… 

The Health Care & Social Assistance sector lost 600 jobs in April, followed by a loss of 400 jobs in the Accommodation & Food Services sector. 

 

In addition, the Construction and Arts, Entertainment & Recreation sectors both lost 200 jobs from March. 

 

Offsetting the job losses was a gain of 400 jobs reported in the Educational Services sector, followed by a gain of 300 jobs in both the Manufacturing and Transportation & Utilities sectors.

 

Over the past three months, the Rhode Island job count has been, on average, unchanged. 

 

The March job report was revised up to 515,200, an increase of 600 over the published job count of 514,600. The March over-the-month job change from February is now up 1,100 as opposed to the 500 originally reported.