Published on Thursday, May 15, 2025
CRANSTON, R.I. – Jobs at Rhode Island businesses rose by 300 in April as the state’s unemployment rate increased to 4.9 percent. Over the year, jobs were up 4,300 from April 2024, and the unemployment rate was up seven-tenths of a percentage point.
Rhode Island’s Labor Force
The April unemployment rate was 4.9 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from the March rate. Last year, the rate was 4.2 percent in April.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in April, unchanged from March. The U.S. rate was 3.9 percent in April 2024
The number of unemployed Rhode Island residents — those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment — was 28,800, up 300 from March. The number of unemployed residents was up 3,800 over the year.
The number of employed Rhode Island residents was 559,200, down 1,200 over the month and down 6,600 over the year.
The Rhode Island labor force totaled 588,100 in April, down 900 over the month and down 2,700 from April 2024.
The labor force participation rate was 63.8 percent in April, down one-tenth of a percentage point from March and down from 64.5 in April 2024. Nationally, 62.6 percent of U.S. residents participated in the labor force.
Unemployment Insurance claims* for first-time filers averaged 779 in April, down from 1,421 in March. Claims were up an average of 49 a week from April 2024.
Rhode Island-based Jobs
The number of total nonfarm jobs in Rhode Island was 516,000 in April, an increase of 300 jobs from the revised March jobs figure of 515,700. Over the year, total nonfarm jobs are up 4,300 or 0.8 percent. Nationally, jobs were up 1.2 percent or nearly 1.9 million from a year ago. The number of private sector jobs in Rhode Island was up 100 in April and up 3,600 from April 2024.
April Nonfarm Payroll Notes…
- The total nonfarm job count of 516,000 in April is an all-time high.
- In the past three months, the local economy has added 1,600 jobs, averaging a gain of just over 500 jobs per month.
- In March, the monthly jobs report was revised up by 100, from a reported gain of 400 jobs to a gain of 500 jobs from February.
- The number of jobs in the Administrative & Waste Services sector rose by 1,000 in April, stemming from gains reported within landscaping services.
- The Educational Services sector added 900 jobs in April, following a gain of 500 jobs in March. These job gains are noteworthy given the fact that the sector had lost a considerable number of jobs during the second half of 2024 and failed to regain those jobs back. The April employment level of 27,600 is the highest level since June 2024.
- A loss of 300 jobs in the Health Care & Social Assistance sector marks the first monthly job decline since July 2024.
Manufacturing Hours and Earnings
In April, production workers in the Manufacturing sector earned $26.45 per hour, up forty-eight cents from March and up sixty-five cents from April 2024.
Manufacturing employees worked an average of 40.5 hours per week in April, unchanged over the month but down eight-tenths of an hour 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 May 2025 labor force figures and job counts at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 20, 2025.
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