CT adds 900 jobs in Nov.; unemployment rate up to 3.7%

Write a Comment

By Joe Cooper

Connecticut employers added 900 jobs in November, but the state's unemployment rate still rose to 3.7 percent due to an increase in jobless residents, according to state labor officials.

The state Department of Labor (DOL) said Thursday statewide employment fell by a tenth-of-a-percent last month to 1,699,600 seasonally adjusted jobs. There are currently 71,100 unemployed residents in the state, up 1,600 from October, DOL said.

Meantime, DOL on Thursday also revised its previous October estimates upward by 100 to a loss of 1,400 jobs.

Andy Condon, who leads the agency’s Office of Research, said the state’s gain of 900 jobs is encouraging following October’s decline.

“Our three-month moving average job growth figure, designed to smooth out some of the volatility in our monthly numbers, has remained positive since July,” Condon said. “However, our annual growth rate in jobs remains very modest.”

In November, four of the state’s top 10 major industry “supersectors” added jobs and four lost workers, labor officials said. The government, including federal, state and local workers, and information supersectors were unchanged.

The professional and business services and education and health services sectors led job growth last month as they each added 800 net jobs. Manufacturing trailed with a gain of 400 jobs, and other services picked up 300 jobs.

Trade, transportation and utilities led declines shedding 600 jobs last month. The leisure and hospitality industry also shed 500 positions, financial activities lost 200 jobs and construction and mining experienced a loss of 100 jobs.

The state is 117 months into its job recovery from the 2008-2010 recession, and employment totals remain below their pre-recession level by 17,500 net jobs. That pace trails many states, which have recovered more than 100 percent of their jobs.

The Hartford region led employment growth in the state with an increase of 500 jobs.