Rhode Island gains jobs in June, unemployment rate steadies
PROVIDENCE (AP) — State labor officials say Rhode Island gained 2,800 jobs from May to June and the unemployment rate held steady.
The state Department of Labor and Training says the number of Rhode Island-based jobs in June was 502,200, up 2,800 jobs from the revised May job count. That's up 5,600 jobs from June 2018.
The state unemployment rate in June was 3.6 percent, unchanged from May. It is four-tenths of a percentage point lower June 2018.
The state rate is the one-tenth of a percentage point lower than the national rate.
Labor Department Director Scott Jensen says Rhode Island-based jobs reached a record high, and it's the first time the state's unemployment rate has fallen below the national rate since 2017.
The number of unemployed Rhode Islanders fell by 300 to 19,800.
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