State loses 6,000 jobs in August

The latest jobs report shows Connecticut lost 6,000 jobs in August, bringing the total number of people employed down to 1,654,000 people.

Private-sector job growth was strong with 2,300 jobs added during the month, according to the Connecticut Department of Labor. However, losses in local government, which were expected after a late school year, resulted in an overall decline. Roughly 7,500 local government jobs were eliminated in August.

The report marks the first month of job losses since March. In July the state added 11,500 jobs.

The streak may be broken, but Peter M. Gioia, an economist with the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, said the state”™s employment outlook remains positive.

“The underlying message was more positive than (the overall numbers) would imply,” Gioia said in a release, mentioning the growth in private-sector jobs. “Unfortunately, we do still see weakness in financial services and that”™s a concern going forward.”

Within the private sector, six of the 10 major industries saw job gains in August, led by growth in the construction and mining industries, which collectively added 1,700 jobs.

Jobs within the finance, insurance and professional services sector, however, declined by 2,200 jobs.

Since August 2012, nonfarm employment has increased 0.9 percent, or by 15,400 jobs.

With the latest data, about 51 percent of the 121,200 jobs lost during the recession have been recovered.

Despite the loss in jobs last month, the unemployment rate remained at 8.1 percent. While the U.S. unemployment rate stands at 7.3 percent, Connecticut”™s rate has fluctuated between 8 percent and 8.1 percent since the beginning of the year.

The number of people employed in Danbury did not change, while the Bridgeport, Stamford and Norwalk region lost 1,100 jobs. Hartford lost the most jobs this month (2,500), while Waterbury added the most with 500 jobs.

Connecticut was just one of two states to have statistically significant job losses in August, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Labor. Georgia lost the most, cutting 16,100 jobs, while New York added the most statistically significant amount, with 30,400 jobs.

NOTE: An earlier version of this article appeared online Sept. 20.