Some Rhode Island government jobs will soon be filled.

The State of Rhode Island recently announced its plan to fill 92 positions with the state government. The Department of Administration currently has 169 vacancies that were created by several retirements this year, according to an article by The Providence Journal.

The state has seen several departments lose staff members, including the Department of Health, which has since complained it can’t perform critical public health functions. The state’s department that analyzes food, drinking water, wastewater and air for toxic environmental contaminants.

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Declining sales and consumer confidence could result in the loss of more Rhode Island retail jobs.

Rhode Island, among many other states, is feeling the pressure of the declining economy. During October the state had an unemployment rate of 9.3 percent, up from 8.8 percent during September and higher than the national unemployment rate of 6.5 percent. According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state had a total non-farm employment of 476,000, down from 478,400 during September and a 3 percent decrease from last year.

According to an article by Reuters, many retail sales jobs are being lost. It’s sort of a Catch-22, as more people lose their jobs, more people can’t afford to shop, causing more retail workers to lose their jobs, and so on.

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Although employment throughout the state is getting lower every day, office jobs in Rhode Island are being added by the state unemployment office.

The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training recently announced its plan to hire 20 new workers to answer calls from people who have been laid off. Rhode Island currently has an unemployment rate of 9.3 percent and is tied with Michigan as the highest in the country. Because of the high number of unemployed workers, people have been waiting on hold for up to an hour-and-a-half to speak to a claims operator.

The office hopes that adding 20 federally-financed operators will cut down on hold times, according to an article by TMCNews. The office currently employs 30 workers, and the new workers will have to go through training before they can start.

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A new initiative could help save local Rhode Island retail jobs.

Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, Chairwoman of the Small Business Advocacy Council, recently announced the launch of Buy Local RI, a new economic development initiative to help support local businesses. The initial phase of Buy Local RI will be a public awareness campaign encouraging Rhode Island residents to support local businesses by shopping locally, especially for the holidays.

“The economy in Rhode Island is struggling,” Roberts said in a press release. “As we look at our economy turning down, we need to invest our dollars here in Rhode Island. One of the best things we can do is to support local businesses.

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Some driver jobs in Rhode Island are being cut.

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s board of directors recently approved a move to cut 20 drivers’ jobs and reduce service on 47 bus routes. This is expected to save about $900,000 this fiscal year and $2 million next fiscal year. Officials said service reductions will mostly affect routes with low ridership. RIPTA employs 844 workers and maintains two facilities, one in Newport and one in Providence.

According to an article by WPRI, the agency will still have a deficit of about $8 million even after the savings, meaning more job cuts are likely in the near future. However, Board Chairman John Rupp and other officials are optimistic the state will provide enough money to get RIPTA through the end of this fiscal year, which will end June 30, 2009, without further job cuts.

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A well-known insurance provider has cut insurance jobs in Rhode Island.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island recently announced its plan to cut 74 positions throughout the company, 41 through layoffs and the remainder by not filling vacancies. The positions to be cut include everything from management personnel to rank-and-file employees. According to an article by the Providence Business News, the company currently employs about 1,160 workers.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield is the state’s largest health insurer and covers more than 680,000 people. One reason for the cuts may be that healthcare network Care New England has decided to switch its employee healthccare coverage to Tufts Health Plan, a rival of Blue Cross.

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The State of Rhode Island currently has the highest unemployment rate in the country, and the loss of Rhode Island manufacturing jobs is only adding to what some are calling a “blue-collar” recession.

During September 2008, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state had an unemployment rate of 8.8 percent. Total non-farm employment came in at 478,200 workers, down from 479,500 during August and a decrease of 2.6 percent from last year. The manufacturing industry employed 47,400 workers, down from 47,600 during August and a decrease of 6.5 percent from last year.

Job losses in other blue-collar industries, such as office and construction jobs, also are adding to the problem. During September, Rhode Island’s construction industry employed 20,800 workers, down from 21,000 during August and a decrease of 3.3 percent from last year. The state’s professional and business services industry employed 53,800 during September, down from 53,900 during August and a decrease of 2.2 percent from last year.

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Those who currently have or are seeking IT jobs in Rhode Island are among the most lucky in the state.

Rhode Island’s information industry was the only one to see an over-the-year increase in jobs during September, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry employed 10,800 workers during September, down from 10,900 in August, but an increase of 3.8 percent from last year.

The state saw a total non-farm employment of 478,200 workers during September, down from 479,500 during August and a decrease of 2.6 percent from last year. The industry that took the hardest hit was natural resources and mining, which employed 200 workers, the same as August, but a 33.3 percent decrease from last year.

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One company’s expansion will help create new biotech jobs in Rhode Island.

Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of sight-saving therapeutics for chronic retinal diseases, recently announced the opening of a new 27,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Cumberland, Rhode Island.

“High tech manufacturing in the biotechnology industry is a critical component of our economic development and job growth strategy,” Governor Donald L. Carcieri said in a press release. “I commend Neurotech for their commitment to expand operations and create new job opportunities here in Rhode Island, and am pleased to join the company in this exciting celebration today.” (more…)

The relocation of a company could create new office jobs in Rhode Island.

United Natural Foods Inc. recently announced its plans to move its headquarters from Dayville, Connecticut to Providence, Rhode Island in May 2009. The company plans to combine executive and administrative offices by relocating about 150 employees, and will maintain its presence in Connecticut, where its distribution facility is the third-largest on the East Coast and the sixth-largest in the country.

UNFI carries and distributes more than 60,000 products to more than 17,000 customers throughout America. The company serves many retail formats, including conventional supermarket chains, natural product superstores, independent retail operators and the food service channel.

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