Published on Thursday, July 17, 2025
CRANSTON, R.I. – Jobs at Rhode Island businesses fell by 2,400 in June as the state’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.8 percent. Over the year, jobs were down 400 from June 2024, and the unemployment rate was up four-tenths of a percentage point.
Rhode Island’s Labor Force
The June unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the May rate. Last year, the rate was 4.4 percent in June.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in June, down one-tenth of a percentage point from May. The U.S. rate was 4.1 percent in June 2024.
The number of unemployed Rhode Island residents — those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment — was 28,400, down 400 from May. The number of unemployed residents was up 2,600 over the year.
The number of employed Rhode Island residents was 559,000, up 200 over the month but down 6,900 over the year.
The Rhode Island labor force totaled 587,400 in June, down 200 over the month and down 4,300 from June 2024.
The labor force participation rate was 63.6 percent in June, down one-tenth of a percentage point from May and down from 64.5 percent in June 2024. Nationally, 62.3 percent of U.S. residents participated in the labor force.
Unemployment Insurance claims* for first-time filers averaged 864 in June, up from 840 in May. Claims were up an average of 39 a week from June 2024.
Rhode Island-based Jobs
The number of total nonfarm jobs in Rhode Island was 513,200 in June, a decrease of 2,400 jobs from the revised May jobs figure of 515,600. Over the year, total nonfarm jobs are down 400 or 0.1 percent. Nationally, jobs were up 1.1 percent or 1.8 million from a year ago. The number of private sector jobs in Rhode Island was down 2,000 in June but up 1,200 from June 2024.
June Nonfarm Payroll Notes…
- The loss of 2,400 jobs in June marks the largest monthly job loss since April 2023.
- In the past three months, the local economy has lost 2,500 jobs, an average loss of just over 800 jobs per month.
- The Accommodation & Food Services sector lost 1,200 jobs in June, as hiring fell short of seasonal expectations.
- The Educational Services and Health Care & Social Assistance sectors lost 900 and 700 jobs, respectively, in June. A portion of the decline in Health Care & Social Assistance can be attributed to a labor dispute.
- The Government sector fell by 400 in June as all three branches, State (-200), Federal (-100), and Local (-100), reported job losses.
- Offsetting the June losses were job gains reported among several sectors, notably Other Services (+600) and Construction (+300).
- In May, the monthly jobs report was revised down by 1,300, from a reported gain of 1,100 jobs to a loss of 200 jobs from April.
Manufacturing Hours and Earnings
In June, production workers in the Manufacturing sector earned $25.46 per hour, unchanged from May but up nine cents from June 2024.
Manufacturing employees worked an average of 41.5 hours per week in June, down two-tenths of an hour over the month and up 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 July 2025 labor force figures and job counts at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 14, 2025.
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