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June 4, 2008

Boston shows significant job growth; R.I. dips again

Rhode Islanders who can't find a job in their home state may have better luck in nearby Boston.

The Boston metro area is ranked as having the fourth-highest job growth nationally, tied with Washington, D.C., according to a report released today by the federal Department of Labor Statistics.

In April, jobs in the Boston metro area rose by 24,400 from the same month last year, a one-percent increase, the data shows.

Nationally, job growth was slower at 0.3 percent.

In the Boston area, education and health services in April gained 11,400 jobs compared to April of last year, the highest growth rate of any sector, the agency reported. Education and health services accounted for nearly half of the total job gains recorded in the Boston area. The second largest job growth sector during the period was professional and business services, which added 6,900 jobs.

Rhode Island last month shed another 700 jobs, the fourth consecutive monthly decline, and the state unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.1 percent, a government jobs report released today shows.

During the first four months of this year, Rhode Island has lost lost 6,300 jobs, and its payroll employment has fallen to its lowest level since June 2003, according to the state Department of Labor and Training.

-- Journal staff writer Lynn Arditi

Posted by Lynn Arditi  at 12:19 PM | Permalink

Comments

No jobs, but 24 hour slots. That'll fix us right up.

Steve | June 4, 2008 12:28 PM link

No jobs, but 24 hour slots. That'll fix us right up.

Steve | June 4, 2008 12:30 PM link

Exactly why I'm driving to Boston(Watertown) every day from N.Providence. If this state actually was interested in creating jobs instead of having corruption trials we'd be much better off. And funny about those 24 hour slots! True true! Although since most of the folks that are there at 3:00AM are probably on welfare or some state assisted disability - the state is doing nothing more then recycling its own money.
"Twin Rivers - for those who can't afford the gas to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun"

Kevin | June 4, 2008 1:53 PM link

RI continues to lose jobs, yet the unemployment rate remains at 6.1%? The reason for this non-statistic is that once your benefits run out, you're no longer considered unemployed. I've been looking for work since before Christmas and can't find anything. I suspect the reason is that I am less than 10 years from retirement age, and can no longer do the physical work that I used to fall back on in hard times. On top of that, extended benefits are not available, since the jobless rate has 'stabilized' at 6.1%.

Tom | June 4, 2008 2:23 PM link

This should open people's eyes to the economic benefits of that the MBTA commuter rail extension south of Providence will bring!!

Oh and I whole-heartedly agree with that slot machine comment.

Dan | June 4, 2008 2:46 PM link

Given the large number of RI residents that trek up to Boston to earn their daily bread, does anyone else wonder why those Boston companies don't create RI branches? What is it about RI that makes outsiders think we are nothing but a bunch of slimebags and brain-dead state cadre workers? With few exceptions, high-tech companies have long avoided it like the plague.

BTW Dan, that MBTA commuter extension will mostly be used to bring farm workers from Central Falls down to their jobs on the Providence Plantations in South County. After all, nobody really wants them to live there, right?

Sodom and Gomorrah ain't got nothin' on us | June 4, 2008 10:07 PM link

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