North Smithfield’s unemployment rate of 10.1% (not seasonally adjusted) is largely attributable to the rapid growth of its labor force during the last decade.
North Providence’s low-for-Rhode-Island unemployment rate masks the fact that the city’s number of employed residents has never been lower in the DLT’s 22 years of data.
Lincoln’s employment trend over the last decade was along the typical Rhode Island line, with labor force growing substantially while employment receded. Since 2010, however, the town’s situation has not improved, although it remains better situated than the state overall.
At 12.9% (not seasonally adjusted), Johnston has among the highest unemployment rates in Rhode Island. Like some other cities and towns, however, Much of the employment gap results from the presence of additional people in the workforce.
In a comparison that plays out in other competing communities in RI, Foster and Glocester exhibit an interesting dynamic. Foster has significantly higher unemployment, but its number of employed residents is up, while Glocester’s is down. The difference is the number of people who want to work.
Not seasonally adjusted, East Providence’s unemployment rate of 12.8% is well above the state’s average. With its total employment near a record low and its labor force nearly there, as well, it’s even more concerning that unemployed residents remain near the high.
In terms of employment change from 2000 to 2010, Portsmouth is pretty much the typical RI town. The town weathered the recession well, until 2010, and its seasonal swings create an interesting comparison with the rest of Aquidneck Island.
Cumberland is somewhat unique in Rhode Island, in that from 2000 to 2010 it gained employment. Still, its labor force grew more quickly, so its unemployment is still high, and all numbers are down from their boom-time peak.
Cranston’s unemployment rate is below that of RI overall. Most interesting, though, is how trends in employment compare with those in Warwick, for very different results.
The not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for Central Falls was 15.6% in March and would be much higher if the same percentage of the population were in the labor force as in other RI cities and towns.
Burrillville’s unemployment rate equals the statewide average of 11.8% mainly because the town’s employment has not matched its growing labor force. Consequently, unemployment is near the town’s all-time high.
Tiverton’s employment trend is characterized by ten-year growth in population and labor force that wasn’t matched by employment. In recent months, improvement in unemployment results only from a fast-falling overall labor force.
Newport joins its neighbor, Middletown, in having very high unemployment, as well as a dramatic downward trend in its population and employment data.
Reviewing William Raveis data for single-family home sales in each Rhode Island community, Justin finds that the picture isn’t rosy.
Middletown’s February unemployment is high compared with the rest of the state, at 13.4%, and January’s was the highest in 22 years of data. More concerning is that those numbers were achieved even as the total labor force shrank.
Although Little Compton is among Rhode Island’s wealthiest communities, the town has seen an above-average drop in employment and its unemployment rate is still high.
According to RI Dept. of Labor and Training statistics, the number of employed residents in Jamestown fell 7.6% from 2000 to 2010. The town’s number of employed residents has almost returned to its level before the new bridge to the mainland eased travel to the island in 1992.
West Warwick leads Kent County in unemployment, in part because its total labor force grew 4.1% at the same time that the total number of residents working or looking for work (its labor force) increased 4.9%.
West Greenwich’s employment data (while of limited confidence, given the small population) tells a story of consistent growth, until the current recession moved its unemployment rate above that of the state overall.
Warwick’s employment story appears to be one of lost population and lost employment. As with some of RI’s other cities and towns, Warwick’s number of employed residents has never been lower in the twenty-two years of data.
Given its reputation among Rhode Island towns, it’s surprising that East Greenwich has a higher-than-average unemployment rate. The explanation likely lies in the growth of its population and labor force, which exacerbated the smaller decrease in employed residents.
Reviewing the unemployment picture for RI cities and towns, the Current finds that Coventry’s exploding unemployment rate can be explained by increases in population and labor force rather than a decrease in the overall number of residents who are employed.
Reviewing the unemployment picture for RI cities and towns, the Current finds that Bristol has actually been gaining population and workers, over the past decade, but they’re finding jobs in insufficient numbers. And the circumstances for Warren appear dismal from every angle.
Reviewing the unemployment picture for RI cities and towns, the Current finds that Barrington lost 3% of its population from 2000 to 2010 and almost 7% of its employment. Meanwhile, in the quarter leading up to February, 1% of all residents left the town’s work force.
Far from receiving “no raises,” the increases in pay of the teaching staff in Woonsocket amount to $4.7 million over the period covered by their current contract.
BLS data shows real earnings on a slide, nationally, and although RI might be doing slightly better by this marker, it’s hardly enough to overcome unemployment problems.
Rhode Island’s unemployment rate fell, from December to January, but the exodus from the labor force has accelerated.
When it comes to the average annual pension payment given to its retirees in the state Employees’ Retirement System (ERSRI), Cranston pays only a few percentage points more than the average for all cities and towns; its local fire and police retirement plans, however, are dramatically more generous.
As important as Jason Richwine and Andrew Biggs’ conclusion, in a Heritage Foundation study, that public-school teachers are overpaid is the way in which Bureau of Labor Statistics data is biased to promote the opposite conclusion.