Projo Biz Blog

Rhode Island's weak labor marked drove up initial unemployment insurance claims for the week ending Aug. 23rd by 328 from the previous week, according to the state Department of Labor and Training.

So far this year, initial unemployment insurance claims are up 10.8 percent from the
same period last year, and 16.1 percent from 2006, the state reported.

The number of residents who exhausted their regular unemployment benefits declined by 83 from the previous week, to 332. Benefit exhaustions were still 23.6 percent above last year and 27.4 percent above 2007.

The state on July 6th began providing an additional 13 weeks of federally funded "emergency" unemployment benefits to eligible residents who had exhausted their regular benefits. During the week ending Aug. 23, there were 453 new emergency unemployment benefit claims filed, and 7,321 continued claims filed, the state reported.

Rhode Island's unemployment rate in July was 7.7 percent, the highest since 1993. The August unemployment rate is scheduled to be released Sept. 19.

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