Skip to content

Rhode Island

Job Shortages

The tables below show the top three occupations that are projected from 2018-2028 of Rhode Island employers based on the level of education they require.  There is a state minimum wage of $11.50 in Rhode Island. The one highlighted occupation under each of the three education levels has been selected to expand on in terms of potential career advancement.

 

Back to Top

Back to the Map

 

Potential Career Advancement

1) Waiter & Waitress to Certified Food Manager

Waiter & Waitress Job Description: 

  • Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in a restaurant 

Entry Level Requirements:  

  • Food Handler Certification – not required by Rhode Island state law, but employers may prefer it 
  • Obtain Food Handlers Card online here ($7,2 hours); click here to take exam in Español, 普通话, 한국어, Việt, American Sign Language, Tagalog, Serbo-Croatian 
  • If serving alcohol, must obtain an alcohol permit ($10)

Certified Food Manager Job Description: 

  • Responsible for food safety to protect the public from illness as required by state regulations 

Career Advancement Requirements:  

  • Pass the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) certification exam ($55, 1.5 hours)
  • Online training courses are not required, but provide knowledge to prepare for the exam

2) Teacher Assistant to Elementary School Teacher

Teacher Assistant Job Description: 

  • Assist in the teaching of academic and social skills to students at any and all school levels

Entry Level Requirements:  

Elementary School Teacher Job Description: 

  • Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level 

Career Advancement Requirements:  

  • Obtain Bachelor’s degree
  • Complete state-approved teacher program from an accredited college
  • Pass Praxis exams (prices found here
  • Complete 60 hours of field experience and 12 weeks of student teaching
  • Apply for certification in Rhode Island ($100, renewable every 3 years)

3) Accountant & Auditor to Financial Manager

Accountant & Auditor Job Description: 

  •  Analyze financial information and prepare financial reports on activities in an organization

Entry Level Requirements:  

  • Bachelor’s degree with accounting concentration and at least 1 year of experience in accounting 
  • Pass the CPA exam (Approx. $900 with $170 application fee)
  • Pass the AICPA Ethics exam with a minimum score of 90 
  • State residency required

Financial Manager Job Description: 

  • Plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment

Career Advancement Requirements:  

  • Bachelor’s degree in finance related field required, Master’s degree encouraged
  • 5+ years of experience in business or financial occupation, more information found here

 

Back to Top

Back to the Map

 

Immigration in Rhode Island

The following are facts about the immigrant community in Rhode Island:

  • Immigrants comprise 13% of the state population and 16% of the Rhode Island labor force 
  • Top industries of immigrant employment in Rhode Island:
    • Health Care and Social Assistance, 18,438 
    • Manufacturing, 17,458 
    • Educational Services, 10,072 
    • Administrative & Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services, 8,111 
    • Retail Trade, 7,675
  • 7,187 immigrant business owners account for 16% of all self-employed Rhode Island residents
  • 61% of immigrants in Rhode Island are naturalized and another 19% are undocumented
  • Top foreign-born countries of origin:
    • Dominican Republic, 19%
    • Guatemala, 10% 
    • Portugal, 7% 
    • Cabo Verde, 5% 
    • India, 4% 
  • 19% of native-born Rhode Islanders are children of an immigrant 
  • Educational attainment of foreign born adults in Rhode Island:
    • High School diploma or less – 55% 
    • More than HS diploma, less than Bachelor’s degree – 18% 
    • Bachelor’s degree or higher – 27% 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Share of immigrant professionals, who are unemployed, employed at poverty-level wages in High School diploma or less jobs, or significantly underemployed in more than HS diploma, less than Bachelor’s degree jobs

Back to Top

Back to the Map

 

Sources

Jobs 

Projections Managing Partnership (PMP), Projections Central – State Occupational Projections, “Long Term Occupational Projection (2018-2028)”;  http://www.projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm 

Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm  

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, “Education and training assignments by detailed occupation,” 2019; https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/education-and-training-by-occupation.htm  

National Council of State Legislatures, “State Minimum Wages”, December 2020; http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wage-chart.aspx#Table 

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release, “Employees on Nonfarm Payrolls by State, Seasonally adjusted”, November 2020; https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm  

Potential Career Advancement 

National Conference of State Legislatures, “The National Occupational Licensing Database”, March 2020: https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/occupational-licensing-statute-database.aspx  

Immigration 

American Immigration Council, State by State Fact Sheet, August 2020; https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/topics/state-by-state

Related Topics

Skills and Workforce Development

Download Resources

Learn More

Read more about New Hampshire

Skills and Workforce

New Hampshire

Read more about Oklahoma

Skills and Workforce

Oklahoma

Read more about Minnesota

Skills and Workforce

Minnesota