CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.8% in December, down three-tenths of a percentage point from the November rate but higher than the national rate of 3.9%, the state Department of Labor and Training said Thursday.
The state’s December rate was also down from 7.9% in the year-ago month, the agency reported.
The number of jobs in Rhode Island was 485,800 in December, up 2,600 from November, and the number of employed state residents has increased by 29,600 over the year.
The state lost about 108,000 jobs when many businesses were closed or severely restricted in the spring of 2020 at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, but as of December about 80% of those jobs have been recovered.
“We’ve been focused on rolling out smart, effective initiatives that help Rhode Island workers and businesses that have faced numerous challenges due to the pandemic,” Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement. “This month’s jobs report is a sign that what we’re doing is working. We know that getting people back to work is key to our economic recovery.”
The accommodation and food services sector added the most jobs in December, driven mostly by full-service restaurants. The health care and the trade, transportation and warehousing sectors also added jobs. The construction and government sectors lost jobs.
