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Connecticut Unemployment Rate Drops To 6.4 percent

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- The unemployment rate in Connecticut dropped to 6.4 percent in September, the lowest rate in the state since November 2008, the Connecticut Department of Labor announced.

Photo Credit: Connecticut Department of Labor

“Today’s jobs report is another sign that we are making steady progress in improving our state’s economy," said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. "With the addition of these jobs, we’ve added nearly 70,000 private sector jobs since January of 2011. That’s one of the best periods for private sector job growth since the 1990s. And when you look at annual job growth on a monthly basis, what you see is that the state has gained jobs every single month.

“There is still much more that must be done so that our state is better prepared to continue this progress in the future. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – we can’t be satisfied until everyone in our state who wants a job has one.” 

The number of unemployed residents declined by 23,682 since September 2013 to 119,842, which is a new recovery low point. Connecticut’s labor force has now expanded by 21,983 workers over the year.

Connecticut added 11,500 positions in September, according to preliminary jobs data calculated from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’s monthly employer survey.

The state’s unemployment rate of 6.4 percent in September is down two-tenths of a percentage point from the August figure of 6.6 percent and lower by 1 and three-tenths of a percentage point from the September 2013 unemployment rate of 7.7 percent.

The unemployment rate has not been this low in the state since November 2008.

“September employment numbers are very encouraging with strong gains in estimated payroll employment. Some of this gain was expected, especially in local public education and leisure & hospitality where seasonal shifts may have been missed in August,” said Andy Condon, director of the Office of Research of the state Labor Department. “Both Connecticut’s nonfarm employment and unemployment rate are back to late 2008 levels. However, monthly sample-based labor statistics can be volatile in either direction and should be looked at in context of longer trends over several months.”

Connecticut has now recovered 85,300 positions, or 71.6 percent of the 119,100 seasonally adjusted total jobs lost in the state during the March 2008 to February 2010 recession. 

Connecticut’s jobs recovery is now 55 months old and is averaging 1,551 jobs per month overall since February 2010.

The September preliminary job numbers show Labor Market Area of the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk added 1,100 jobs while the Danbury area added 500 jobs.

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