RI unemployment rate ticks down to 12.5 percent in April; jobs fall by 4,400 because of floods
By APThursday, May 20, 2010
RI unemployment rate down to 12.5 percent in April
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island’s unemployment rate ticked down one-tenth of a percentage point in April, to 12.5 percent, although the number of jobs also declined, mostly because of widespread flooding.
The state Department of Labor and Training released the numbers Friday. They show about 4,400 jobs lost between March and April.
The state’s unemployment rate is among the worst in the nation and has been in double digits for more than a year.
Job losses because of flooding were not included in the unemployment rate because they’re considered temporary.
An economic forecast released Thursday by the New England Economic Partnership predicted that Rhode Island would see its jobless rate peak at 12.9 percent by the end of this year.
