Published on Thursday, March 27, 2025
CRANSTON, R.I. – Jobs at Rhode Island businesses rose by 700 in February as the state’s unemployment rate increased to 4.7 percent. Over the year, jobs were up 5,600 from February 2024, and the unemployment rate was up seven-tenths of a percentage point.
Rhode Island’s Labor Force
The February unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from the January rate. Last year, the rate was 4.0 percent in February.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in February, up one-tenth of a percentage point from January. The U.S. rate was 3.9 percent in February 2024.
The number of unemployed Rhode Island residents—those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment—was 28,000, up 900 from January. The number of unemployed residents was up 4,200 over the year.
The number of employed Rhode Island residents was 562,600, down 1,400 over the month and down 2,100 over the year.
The Rhode Island labor force totaled 590,600 in February, down 500 over the month but up 2,000 from February 2024.
The labor force participation rate was 64.1 percent in February, down one-tenth of a percentage point from January and down from 64.4 in February 2024. Nationally, 62.4 percent of U.S. residents participated in the labor force.
Unemployment Insurance claims* for first-time filers averaged 1,039 in February, down from 2,263 in January. Claims were down an average of 17 a week from February 2024.
Rhode Island-based Jobs
The number of total nonfarm jobs in Rhode Island was 515,100 in February, an increase of 700 jobs from the revised January jobs figure of 514,400. Over the year, total nonfarm jobs are up 5,600 or 1.1 percent. Nationally, jobs were up 1.2 percent or 1.9 million from a year ago. The number of private sector jobs in Rhode Island was up 900 in February and up 5,000 from February 2024.
February Nonfarm Payroll Notes…
• The total nonfarm job count of 515,100 in February is an all-time high.
• In the past three months, the local economy has added 700 jobs, averaging just over 200 jobs per month.
• In January, the monthly jobs report was revised down by 700, from a reported gain of 600 jobs to a loss of 100 jobs from December 2024.
• The decline of 100 jobs in January marks the first monthly decline since July 2024.
• Accommodation & Food Services reported the largest job gain in February, adding 500 jobs, followed by a gain of 400 jobs in Construction.
• The largest monthly job declines were noted in the Educational Services sector and Government sector, falling by 300 and 200 jobs, respectively.
Manufacturing Hours and Earnings
In February, production workers in the Manufacturing sector earned $26.13 per hour, up thirty cents from January and up eight cents from February 2024.
Manufacturing employees worked an average of 39.4 hours per week in February, down seven-tenths of an hour over the month and down one and three-tenths hours from a year ago.
*The average number of verified initial claims filed during the week includes the 12th of the month and the previous three weeks. The Department of Labor and Training is scheduled to release the March 2025 labor force figures and job counts at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
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