The numbers were similar last year, during the first season of the pandemic. The DEM hired 119 guards last May. Rosa said it’s not unusual for the state to hire more guards as the summer wears on, adding that some people quit because it’s not a good fit.
Rosa also thinks the additional $300 in emergency unemployment benefits might be playing a role in the size of the applicant pool.
But there may just be fewer young adults available to fill these jobs. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2010 to 2019, the number of Rhode Islanders in the 15- to 24-year-old age group fell by 15,212 or 9.4%.