(Wethersfield, CT) – Connecticut Department of Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo released the September jobs report showing continued economic growth and recovery from the pandemic. State employers added 4,400 jobs last month; August numbers were revised down from 2,900 to 2,400 jobs added. September’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.0% from 4.1%.
Due to the progress of pandemic recovery, the past two years have been the strongest job growth years since economists began the seasonal adjustment process in 1990. Employers added an average of 4,609 jobs each month in 2021 and, to date, an average of 3,555 jobs per month in 2022.
CTDOL Commissioner Bartolomeo said, “These numbers highlight the strength of Connecticut’s economy and our workforce. We had a strong pandemic economic recovery year in 2021; 2022 is a strong growth year building on recovery gains. In 2022, Connecticut has seen 50,000 workers enter the job market, employers have added thousands of jobs each month, and our unemployment rate is down from 5.6% in September 2021 to 4.0%. While we continue to watch national economic indicators, this is good economic news for employers, workers, and job seekers.”
The state has a net 50,000 additional people in the labor force since December 2021—a significant increase to the pool of workers available to employers. As defined by economists, the labor force includes all individuals who are employed and/or looking for work. School graduation, retirements, people re-entering the workforce after having left (‘discouraged workers’) create fluctuation in that statistic. Currently, Connecticut’s labor force is 1.9M.
CTDOL Director of Research Patrick Flaherty said, “July and September were both strong job growth months, but most importantly, Connecticut has now seen a notable nine consecutive months of job growth. Seasonal factors are coming into play with summer workers going back to school, school system payrolls expanding, and the leisure and hospitality industries seeing big gains. CTDOL continues to watch for broad impacts of national inflation and energy prices on the state’s industry sectors.”
Data and major takeaways from The Report:
- Connecticut has added jobs for major gains in September: Leisure & Hospitality added 2,000 jobs; Construction & Mining added 1,300 jobs.
- Government added 1,500 jobs—this reverses last month’s drop and is related to the timing of school openings.
- Total private sector employment has recovered 91.9% (289,400) of jobs lost during the pandemic. Overall employment has recovered 89.2% (258,200) of jobs lost during the pandemic.
- Since December 2021, the Connecticut labor force has increased by 50,000 workers. This number reflects a slight decrease in September due to summer workers heading back to school.
Connecticut has approximately 19,000 weekly unemployment filers and expects that number to fluctuate over the coming months due to seasonal layoffs. Employers are currently hiring for nearly 90,000 jobs. CTDOL reminds residents that job search, resume, and training assistance is available free of charge at the state’s American Job Centers and urges job seekers, employers, and recruiters to register with CTHires, the state’s job bank.
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Director Flaherty comments on the September report:
- #DOLDaily September 2022 Labor Report Major Takeaways
- #DOLDaily September 2022 Labor Report High Performing Sectors
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