RI unemployment rate falls slightly to 12.6 percent in March, still outpaces national average
By APFriday, April 16, 2010
RI jobless rate drops slightly to 12.6 percent
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The unemployment rate in Rhode Island has dropped slightly, along with the number of jobless state residents seeking work.
The state Department of Labor and Training said Friday the March unemployment rate is 12.6 percent, or 0.1 percentage point below the February rate.
The number of Rhode Islanders looking for jobs fell by 600 to 72,600 and the number of employed state residents grew for the third month in a row. Still, the number of unemployed people in the state has grown overall by 15,500 over the year.
The manufacturing, retail trade and health care sectors all reported bumps in employment in March. But the professional and business services sector lost 1,000 jobs during the month.
