Rhode Island’s unemployment rate inched down to 5.5 percent in October and the state gained jobs, but the Ocean State’s jobless rate was higher than neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut, according to the state Department of Labor and Training.

The report ended two months of job losses in Rhode Island.In October, the state picked up 1,700 jobs, according to DLT data. The Connecticut unemployment rate was 5.1 percent and Massachusetts stood at 3.3 percent.

There has been little change in Rhode Island’s jobless rate since last October, when it stood at 5.6 percent.

Scott MacKay retired in December, 2020.With a B.A. in political science and history from the University of Vermont and a wealth of knowledge of local politics, it was a given that Scott MacKay would become...