All Entries in the "Employment" Category
Rhode Island Recognized for Running One of Nation’s Top-Performing Unemployment Insurance Tax Operations
CRANSTON, RI — Rhode Island has been recognized for running one of the nation’s best Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax operations. The Division of Taxation and Department of Labor and Training (DLT) received a State Performance Excellence Award as the top-performing small state in this function at a conference of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) in Albuquerque, NM.
DLT Assistant Director of Income Support Robert Langlais, who heads the state UI program, and Chief Revenue Agent Philip D’Ambra, head of the Division of Taxation’s Employer Tax section, accepted the NASWA award last week. This is the sixth straight year that Rhode Island has won in the small state category. DLT and the Employer Tax section have long collaborated on running this key area of the state UI system.
“For Rhode Island to be recognized by its peers for running high-quality UI tax operations is gratifying and I congratulate the Division of Taxation and DLT for their efforts,” Governor Gina Mr. Raimondo said. “My administration is committed to continuous improvement in rethinking the way we work and becoming more customer-friendly to make it easier for Rhode Islanders to do business with government.”
Acting Department of Revenue Director David M. Sullivan said, “This award recognizes the high standards of the Division of Taxation’s Employer Tax section and of the Department of Labor and Training. It also recognizes the hard work that the Division of Taxation and the Department of Labor and Training do, day in and day out, as a team.” Sullivan added, “Their work reflects well on the Department of Revenue’s Division of Taxation, the Department of Labor and Training, and on the State of Rhode Island. We are all very proud of their accomplishments.”
“Along with the US Department of Labor, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies sets the standard for best practices in our field. For this reason, I’m especially proud of our UI tax team’s accomplishment,” said DLT Director Scott Jensen. “Our goal is to continue to innovate to deliver excellent customer service to both the workers who rely on UI and the employers who pay for UI. Doing this will help Rhode Island preserve a skilled workforce that’s ready to meet the challenges of our competitive economy.”
Deborah Elliott Named to Animal Rescue Rhode Island’s Board of Directors
PEACE DALE, RI – Animal Rescue Rhode Island (ARRI) announces that Deborah Elliott, of Newport, R.I., has been named to its Board of Directors for the 2015-2016 term.
Mrs. Elliott will be joining a nine-member board that also includes Douglas J. Rubinstein, president; Michele Vidmar, vice president; Joseph DeQuattro, treasurer; Susan Seyfarth Lovejoy, secretary; and board members Julia Boss, Denny Denelle, Thomas Gulluscio, Jr., and Kurt Jamiel.
A native of New Jersey, Mrs. Elliott earned a master’s degree in business administration from New York University. She worked on Wall Street as a senior managing director in fixed income securities until she retired in 2005. Previously, she served for two terms on the board of the Potter League for Animals in Middletown, R.I.
Mrs. Elliott says she “never met a dog that she didn’t like.” To her, they all have a special charm: a great smile, beautiful tail or way they cock their head. She believes that all shelter animals are important and deserve to be saved, adding, “I love being involved with a no-kill shelter and am honored to be on ARRI’s board.”
Mrs. Elliott lives with her husband, Skip, and their rescue Weimeraner, Baci, which means “kisses” in Italian.
Susan Seyfarth Lovejoy Named to Animal Rescue Rhode Island’s Board of Directors
PEACE DALE, RI – Animal Rescue Rhode Island (ARRI) announces that Susan Seyfarth Lovejoy, of Wakefield, R.I., has been named to its Board of Directors for the 2015-2016 term.
Ms. Lovejoy will be serving as secretary for the nine-member board. She will be joining Douglas J. Rubinstein, president; Michele Vidmar, vice president; Joseph DeQuattro, treasurer; and board members Julia Boss, Denny Denelle, Thomas Gulluscio, Jr., Kurt Jamiel, and Deborah Elliott.
Ms. Lovejoy has been a resident of South County for 12 years, first on a part-time basis and full-time since 2013. For over 30 years, she worked as an educator in independent schools around the country, and has served as a board member for an independent school and several nonprofits, with a particular interest in governance issues. Additionally, she recently completed two terms on the board of Rhode Island Public Radio, and currently serves as a board member of the South Kingstown Land Trust.
Along with current consulting work for independent schools, Ms. Lovejoy is a volunteer for the Jonnycake Center in Peace Dale, and also helps out at the ARRI shelter on an as-needed basis.
Ms. Lovejoy, who has a grown daughter, enjoys a wide variety of sports and outdoor activities. She also shares her home with two cats, both adopted from the ARRI shelter several years ago.
September Unemployment Rate Drops to 5.4 Percent; Rhode Island-Based Jobs Down 1,800 from August
RHODE ISLAND – The RI Department of Labor and Training announced today that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September 2015 dropped to 5.4 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from the revised August 2015 rate of 5.7 percent. Over the year, the unemployment rate is down one and eight-tenths percentage points from the September 2014 rate. This is the lowest unemployment rate since August 2007.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in September 2015, unchanged from the previous month and down eighttenths of a percentage point over the year. The number of unemployed RI residents—those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment— was 30,400, down 1,300 from the August figure of 31,700. This represents the lowest unemployment level since July 2007. Over the year, the number of unemployed dropped by 9,400.
A total of 7,698 individuals collected Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in September 2015, * down from 9,081 a year ago. This month, UI claimants accounted for 29.3 percent of the total unemployed. The number of employed RI residents was 527,800, down 500 from the August figure of 528,300. Over the year, the number of employed RI residents was up 15,500 from September 2014.
The RI labor force totaled 558,200 in September 2015, down 1,800 from August 2015 and up 6,100 from September 2014.
JOBS BASED IN RHODE ISLAND: Estimated nonfarm payroll in Rhode Island totaled 482,100 in September, reflecting a loss of 1,800 jobs from the revised August estimate of 483,900. Over the past three months, Rhode Island has averaged a loss of 300 jobs, but has added 3,000 jobs over the year. Since the start of the year, jobs are up 2,800. Thus far in 2015, job growth has averaged 300 per month, compared with an average monthly gain of 600 jobs during the same period in 2014.
Employment in the Professional & Business Services sector fell by 1,200 in September, marking two consecutive months of declines totaling 1,500 jobs. Despite this significant job loss, employment in Professional & Business is up 2,900 in 2015 and up 2,100 from a year ago.
Jobs in Health Care & Social Assistance continued to trend down as 700 jobs were wiped from the September payroll. Jobs within this sector are down 1,000 in 2015, down 1,200 over the year and the sector has averaged a loss of 500 over the past three months. Financial Activities reported a loss of 500 jobs in September, following a loss of 100 jobs in August, erasing the gain of 600 jobs reported earlier in July.
Sept 15 Aug 15 Sept 14
RI Unemployment Rate 5.4% 5.7% 7.2%
U.S. Unemployment Rate 5.1% 5.1% 5.9%
RI Job Count (in thousands) 482.1 483.9 479.1
Highlights:
The RI unemployment rate declined to 5.4%, its
lowest level since August 2007.
The number of RI-based jobs is down 1,800 from
August but up 3,000 from a year ago.
The number of employed RI residents decreased by
500 over the month.
There were 7,698 individuals collecting
Unemployment Insurance benefits in September.
Monthly Employment September 2015,
Government employment dropped by 300 over the month and is down by 500 over the year. Another loss of 300 jobs was also reported in Wholesale Trade, marking the sector’s first job loss since April of this year.
Construction employment fell again, shedding 200 jobs from August. This sector has experienced four consecutive months without reporting a job gain, the last one being in May in which 100 jobs were added. Between September 2014 and September 2015, Construction jobs are down 1,800.
The Manufacturing, Retail Trade, Transportation & Utilities and Educational Services sectors each reported an over the-month loss of 100 jobs, while employment in Information, Other Services and Mining & Logging remained unchanged.
Accommodation & Food Services and Arts, Entertainment& Recreation were the only sectors to report over-the month job gains adding 1,600 and 200 jobs, respectively. Employment in Accommodation & Food Services is up 1,700 since the start of the year and up 2,300 from a year ago. Arts, Entertainment & Recreation employment is up 100 over the year.
MANUFACTURING: In September 2015, production workers in the Manufacturing sector earned $17.26 per hour, down 19 cents from August 2015 and down 60 cents from September 2014. Manufacturing production employees worked an average of 39.5 hours per week in September, up one hour from August but down half an hour over the year.
METHODOLOGY: The unemployment figures are based largely on a survey of households in Rhode Island and measure the unemployment status of people who live in the state. Unemployment rates prior to 1976 are not recognized by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as official since the methodology used at that time is not comparable to today’s methods. The establishment of employment figures is derived from a survey of businesses in Rhode Island and measure the number of jobs in the state. Rhode Island labor market information is available at www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi. Additional information on procedures for producing Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates is available on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/sae/cesprocs.htm. BLS will be releasing all states’ September labor force data and job counts on October 20, 2015. DLT is scheduled to release the October 2015 labor force figures and job counts on Thursday, November 19, 2015, at 2:00 p.m.
ABOUT DLT: The RI Department of Labor and Training offers employment services, educational services and economic opportunities to both individuals and employers. DLT protects Rhode Island’s workforce by enforcing labor laws, prevailing wage rates and workplace health and safety standards. The department also provides temporary income support to unemployed and temporarily disabled workers. For more information, please call the RI Department of Labor and Training at (401) 462-8000 or visit the web site at www.dlt.ri.gov.
*Refers to the number of new and reopened claims filed by UI beneficiaries and claims filed by those already collecting UI in the week that includes the 12th of the
month.
