Wednesday, July 16, 2008
All About the Rhode Island RI Job Market
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the U.S., but it showed its prowess early on by being the first of the original 13 colonies to gain independence from British rule. It was also the last state to ratify the Constitution. Rhode Island is a beautiful and is sometimes called the “Ocean State” because no part of it is more than 30 minutes away from shoreline.
Rhode Island’s economy is built on manufacturing and service enterprises. The impressive bit is that RI has the highest number of trained workers per square mile in the U.S., according to CityData. The website boasts that the work force in RI is “mature, skilled in diverse areas, educated, efficient, and offering high productivity at reasonable wage levels.” The unemployment rate is 7.2%. The majority of Rhode Island jobs are in educational and health services, followed by trade, transportation and utilities and manufacturing. The industries with the least number of employees in Rhode Island are natural resources and mining, information, and construction.
According to the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, the average home price in $472,818 and the cost of living in RI is above the American average. The following are the largest employers in RI, along with their number of employees:
Rhode Island Hospital 5,853
Brown University 4,450
U.S. Postal Service 4,000
Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island 2,640
Miriam Hospital 1,993
Bank of America/Fleet Bank (Providence only) 1,725
Verizon 1,400
According to an article from the Providence Journal, “Economically speaking, Rhode Island is in the midst of the “worst year” in a quarter century.” The article also states that mass layoffs have driven up unemployment claims by 14.3%, although these have dropped in the recent months. Employment service jobs fell by double digits. This is a surefire sign of a bad economy. In a good economy, these service jobs, which include temporary help, will swell. Although the number of jobs in Rhode Island may be at a low point, there are still resources out there for the RI Jobseeker; one of which is Rhode Island Works.
Rhode Island’s economy is built on manufacturing and service enterprises. The impressive bit is that RI has the highest number of trained workers per square mile in the U.S., according to CityData. The website boasts that the work force in RI is “mature, skilled in diverse areas, educated, efficient, and offering high productivity at reasonable wage levels.” The unemployment rate is 7.2%. The majority of Rhode Island jobs are in educational and health services, followed by trade, transportation and utilities and manufacturing. The industries with the least number of employees in Rhode Island are natural resources and mining, information, and construction.
According to the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, the average home price in $472,818 and the cost of living in RI is above the American average. The following are the largest employers in RI, along with their number of employees:
Rhode Island Hospital 5,853
Brown University 4,450
U.S. Postal Service 4,000
Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island 2,640
Miriam Hospital 1,993
Bank of America/Fleet Bank (Providence only) 1,725
Verizon 1,400
According to an article from the Providence Journal, “Economically speaking, Rhode Island is in the midst of the “worst year” in a quarter century.” The article also states that mass layoffs have driven up unemployment claims by 14.3%, although these have dropped in the recent months. Employment service jobs fell by double digits. This is a surefire sign of a bad economy. In a good economy, these service jobs, which include temporary help, will swell. Although the number of jobs in Rhode Island may be at a low point, there are still resources out there for the RI Jobseeker; one of which is Rhode Island Works.
Labels: job market, rhode island
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