CT reverses job-losses streak, adds 6,900 positions in April
HBJ PHOTO | DAVID KRECHEVSKY
The State Capitol in Hartford.
After two months of job losses, employers in the state added 6,900 jobs during the month of April, according to the state Department of Labor.
Despite the gains, the state’s unemployment rate ticked up slightly by one-tenth of a percent to 3.7%. The national unemployment rate is 4.2%.
The state recorded a combined 5,800 job losses during the months of March and February. For the year, through April, Connecticut has added a net 2,600 jobs.
DOL Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said private sector employment reached a new all-time high of 1,483,600 in April. However, total employment remains below March 2008 levels due to a smaller federal, state and local government workforce.
“After a period of unsustainably low unemployment rates and 100,000+ job openings, April’s data signals we are moving into a market that’s better balanced for employers,” Bartolomeo said. “More workers in the labor force will help recruiters hire and businesses expand; it may take job seekers a little longer to find a job, but employers have more than 70,000 opportunities out there. The economy remains in good shape even as CTDOL continues to monitor any impacts from tariffs and inflation.”
Professional and business services, a sector that includes landscapers, was down in March, likely due to a cold spring, DOL said. It rebounded in April.
Additionally, the private education and health services sector was up by 1,800 jobs and trade, transportation and utilities rose by 1,700 jobs.
The federal government is down 300 jobs, including 100 postal workers.
Connecticut Business & Industry Association President and CEO Chris DiPentima said the April job gains were a good sign, but his group remains “concerned about the underlying volatility in Connecticut’s job market, and data trends indicate a real softening in economic conditions.”
“Job openings declined for a second month in March, as they did across the country, and the unemployment rate has ticked up gradually over the past few months," DiPentima said. “Employment in Connecticut’s critical manufacturing sector has also declined by 2,100 over the past 12 months, despite more than 5,000 job openings.”
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments