(Wethersfield, CT) – Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo today released the September jobs report estimating that the state’s unemployment rate remained a low 3.5% after dropping 0.1% with the August revision. This is the second consecutive month that Connecticut’s unemployment rate is below the national rate of 3.8%. State employers added 3,200 jobs in September and the private sector has regained 100.6% of jobs lost during the COVID shutdown. Overall employment is 99% recovered.
Commissioner Bartolomeo said, “Connecticut employers continue to add jobs—they are only constrained by the tight labor market. While the labor force increased last month, businesses across the state are still looking to fill tens of thousands of jobs across industry sectors and at all skill levels. October is Disability Employment Awareness Month and a great time to highlight the untapped potential in workers with different abilities, a community that often has difficulty breaking into the job market. American Job Centers can help anyone who wants a job, find a job.”
Primarily due to the timing of school openings, there was a significant revision in the August job numbers from an estimated 2,100 jobs added to a final 100 jobs added for the month. The swing in the numbers was caused by school employment data—job gains that were modeled in the August report actually occurred a few weeks later in September.
CTDOL Director of Research Patrick Flaherty said, “We had good job growth in September and other economic indicators remain strong. Healthcare, one of the top growth industries in 2023, is now close to fully recovered from the pandemic shutdown. With unemployment so low, bringing more people into the labor force will help businesses and the economy continue to grow.”
Connecticut has fewer than 22,000 weekly unemployment filers.
Industry sector highlights from The Report:
- Transportation & Warehousing declined this month largely due to school bus driver vacancies and striking workers.
- Manufacturing added 900 jobs, down slightly from a year ago after 2022’s 4,300 gain.
- Construction remains above 60,000 jobs, more than 100% recovered, even with a 900 job decline in September.
VIDEO: Director Flaherty comments on the September 2023 report:
#DOLDaily: Major Takeaways from the September Report
Federal funding supports many CTDOL programs in whole or in part. For a list of programs and their funding streams, please visit the federal funding page.
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