Rhode Island Reports 17 Percent Unemployment Rate In April

CRANSTON, RI — Nearly one-fifth of Rhode Island's workforce was unemployed last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In April, the state reported a 17 percent unemployment rate, which is more than four times the rate this time last year.

Rhode Island had the seventh-highest rate of unemployment in the nation in April, three percent higher than the national average of 14.7 percent. Gov. Gina Raimondo said that while the numbers are disappointing, they are not particularly surprising because of the state's high number of small businesses and reliance on the hospitality industry, both of which were hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's about what I expected it to be," Raimondo said Thursday. "We're going to work until all of you are back in a job, but that might be a new job."

April was the worst for the pandemic in Rhode Island, with the state under a stay-at-home order for the entire month, and a peak in both hospitalizations and single-day case numbers at the end of the month. On April 23, 427 new cases were reported, while 374 people were hospitalized April 28. Since then, the state has been on a downward trend in both cases.

As the state begins the phased reopening process, Raimondo encouraged Rhode Islanders whose jobs are again available to return to work. Although it might be scary to go back, she said, it's important to "be brave" and help restart the state's economy. To those who prefer to stay on unemployment because of the extra $600 per week from the federal stimulus, she reminded residents that unemployment insurance is meant to be a temporary safety net, not a long-term source of income.