State adds 900 jobs in April; Most manufacturing jobs in nearly a decade
PROVIDENCE, RI - For the fifth time in seven months, Rhode Island has set a new jobs record. There are currently 499,300 jobs in Rhode Island and the number of Rhode Islanders working is the highest it's been in a decade, according to data released today by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Governor Gina M. Raimondo released the following statement on the April Jobs Reports:
"This month's jobs report is yet another signal that our economy continues to get stronger, and that our recovery is including more and more Rhode Islanders. Our new approach to job training and economic development is working. Jobs are at an all-time high, we've gone from #49 in the U.S. to #1 in wage growth, and our economy has gone from #36 to ninth best in the nation. Because we didn't give up on Rhode Islanders who make a living making things, we've added 1,200 manufacturing jobs in the last year.
"We need to build on our progress and can't afford to go back to the old way of doing things. Let's keep going, and let's keep working until everyone has the economic security they deserve."
Select highlights from the April Jobs Report follow: • 499,300 total jobs, an all-time high. Rhode Island has set new records for jobs five times in the last seven months. • Rhode Island has added 16,500 jobs since Governor Raimondo took office and 7,200 over the last 12 months. • Manufacturing jobs: +400 compared to March 2018; +1,200 compared to April 2017. There are currently 41,600 manufacturing jobs in Rhode Island - the most since May 2009. • Labor force is up 900 compared to last month and up 5,600 over the last 12 months.
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