RI unemployment drops to 12.9%

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Rhode Island's unemployment rate dropped for the first time in over 2-and-a-half-years in October, according to numbers released Friday by the Department of Labor and Training.

Rhode Island's unemployment rate fell to 12.9 percent in October, down one-tenth of a percentage point from September's rate of 13 percent.

It's the first time Rhode Island's unemployment rate has dropped month over month since January 2007. However, it was still higher than the national unemployment average of 10.2 pecent.

The Department of Labor and Training said the number of unemployed Rhode Island residents decreased by 400 in October to 73,700.

However, the number of employed residents also saw a decline of 200, bringing the total number to 496,100.

Rhode Island lost 1,100 jobs in October according to the survey, bringing the total number of non-farm jobs to 456,600. That's the lowest employment level in the state in over 10 years.

Seven sectors reported job losses in October, the Department of Labor and Training said. Retail, Education, and Government saw the biggest declines.

Five sectors had job growth in October, with Health Care and Construction adding the most positions.

Rhode Island has one of the worst unemployment rates in the country. In September, it had the third worst jobless rate in the nation.