PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island has regained about one-third of the jobs it lost in March and April when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the state Department of Labor and Training said Thursday.
The state added about 21,000 jobs in June as the state’s economic recovery plan took root, dropping the unemployment rate to 12.4%, still higher than the June national unemployment rate of 11.1%.
Rhode Island lost more than 98,000 jobs after the pandemic struck in March, but has regained 33,300 of them in the three months since, according to department statistics.
The state unemployment rate peaked at 18% in April, but dropped to 16.4% in May.
The state unemployment rate in June 2019 was 3.6%.
Some of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic had the largest job gains in June, according to the department. The hospitality sector added 8,400 jobs, health care added 4,600, retail added 3,900 and arts and entertainment added 1,400.
The government employment sector lost 3,200 jobs.
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