Rhode Island Jobs Hit Hardest

In this economic downturn, Rhode Island jobs have been hit hardest – with that state having the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Even the homepage of the Rhode Island Department of Labor indicates that people phoning to file unemployment insurance claims may have a wait time of up to one hour, due to the high volume of calls. In fact, to help with the influx of calls, the Department of Labor has asked those filing claims to call on a particular day of the week that corresponds with the first letter of their last name.

An article in the Providence Journal noted that blue-collar workers have been hit especially hard during this recession. Blue-collar workers are those people whose work involves manual labor in such industries as manufacturing, mining, building, construction, mechanics, and maintenance among others.

One obvious point is the affect the housing market collapse has had on construction workers – if there isn’t anything to build, there isn’t a job.

Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri hosted an economic forum on November 6, which included national economists, business, labor, and community leaders, along with college and university representatives. The over 100 participants discussed ways to stimulate the state’s economy and move toward positive economic development.

According to Moody’s Economy.com, Rhode Island is positioned to lose nearly 10,000 additional jobs in the upcoming year. Currently, the state’s unemployment rate is at 8.8 percent; the national unemployment rate is 6.5 percent.