Rhode Island-Based Jobs Increased by 400 from February; March Unemployment Rate Decreases to 3.4 Percent

Published on Thursday, April 14, 2022

CRANSTON, R.I. - The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in March, the Department of Labor and Training announced Thursday. The March rate was down half of a percentage point from the February rate of 3.9 percent. Last year the rate was 6.0 percent in March.  

The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in March, down two-tenths of a percentage point from February. The U.S. rate was 6.0 percent in March 2021.  

The number of unemployed Rhode Island residents — those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment — was 19,600, down 2,700 from February. The number of unemployed residents decreased by 14,400 over the year. Since April 2020, the height of pandemic-related shutdowns, the number of unemployed RI residents is down 80,700. 

The number of employed Rhode Island residents was 549,300, up 3,000 over the month and up 14,500 over the year. Since April 2020 the number of employed Rhode Island residents is up 103,200. 

The Rhode Island labor force totaled 568,900 in March, up 300 over the month and up 100 from March 2021. The labor force is up 22,500 from April 2020.   

Since February 2020, the month prior to the pandemic-related shutdowns, the number of unemployed RI residents is down 1,400 and the number of employed RI residents is down 1,500. Currently, there are 2,900 fewer RI residents participating in the labor force than there were prior to the start of the pandemic. The unemployment rate and the number of unemployed Rhode Islanders have now dropped to pre-pandemic levels. 

Rhode Island-Based Jobs 

Total nonfarm payroll employment in Rhode Island totaled 491,700 in March, reflecting a gain of 400 jobs from the revised February employment figure of 491,300.  

The Retail Trade sector added 600 jobs in March, marking four consecutive months of job gains totaling 1,500 jobs. Several subsectors within Retail Trade reported job growth in March, including grocery stores, health and personal care stores and general merchandise stores.  

Through the addition of 400 jobs in March, the employment level in the Construction sector reached 21,600, the highest level since November 2007. 

The number of jobs in the Educational Services sector rose by 300 in March, followed by a gain of 100 jobs in the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation, Management of Companies, Manufacturing, Professional & Technical Services, Transportation & Utilities and Wholesale Trade sectors.  

Offsetting some of the March job gains was a loss of 400 jobs reported in Health Care & Social Assistance sector, the sector’s first monthly jobs loss since November 2021. In addition, the number of jobs in the Administrative & Waste Services sector also fell by 400 in March, marking three consecutive months of job declines totaling 1,500 jobs. 

Finally, a loss of 300 jobs was reported in the Other Services sector, followed by a loss of 200 jobs in both the Accommodation & Food Services and Government sectors.  

Due to the unprecedented pandemic-related shutdowns and restrictions implemented in April 2020, the number of jobs in Rhode Island plunged to 399,700. Gradually, restrictions began to ease, and the economy began an upward recovery trend. Over the year, Rhode Island jobs are up 17,100, led by the Accommodation & Food Services (+6,500) sector. Professional & Technical Services employment is up 2,000 jobs since March 2021, followed by the Construction (+1,700), Other Services (+1,600), Manufacturing  (+1,500), Government (+1,100), Health Care & Social Assistance (+1,000) and Wholesale Trade (+1,000) sectors.  

Smaller annual job gains were noted in the Retail Trade (+700), Transportation & Utilities (+600), Information (+400), and Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (+300) sectors. 

Over the year, jobs were down in the Administrative & Waste Services (-600), Educational Services (-500) and Management of Companies (-200) sectors. 

To help prevent the outbreak of the coronavirus, many industries in the state were ordered to close or operate with restrictions in March and April of 2020, resulting in the loss of 108,100 jobs. Through March 2022, the state’s economy has recovered 92,000 or 85 percent of the jobs lost during the shutdown. Five employment sectors, Construction, Manufacturing, Professional & Technical Services, Transportation & Utilities and Wholesale Trade, have reported more jobs in March 2022 than they had in the month prior to the pandemic shutdown.  

The Retail Trade sector has recovered 94 percent of the jobs lost during the restriction period, followed by the Accommodation & Food Services (88%) and Other Services (83%) sectors. In addition, Administrative & Waste Services and Information have both regained 75 percent of the jobs lost during the pandemic shutdown followed by the Health Care & Social Assistance (74%), Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (67%), Government (39%) and Financial Activities (39%) sectors.  

The Management of Companies and Educational Services sectors have yet to recover any of the jobs lost during the pandemic shutdown. 

Manufacturing Hours and Earnings 

In March, production workers in the Manufacturing sector earned $23.51 per hour, up thirty cents from February, and up two dollars and sixty-eight cents from March 2021.  

Manufacturing employees worked an average of 40.1 hours per week in March, down six-tenths of an hour over the month, but up two and six-tenths of an hour from a year ago. 

The Department of Labor and Training is scheduled to release the April 2022 labor force figures and job counts at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 19, 2022. 

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