Connecticut gained 3,600 net jobs in September to reach a level of 1,699,200 seasonally adjusted, according to new data from the state”™s Department of Labor.
The DOL also revised the August job gain of 2,800 down to a gain of 1,200.
The department estimated the number of unemployed residents was at 68,300, seasonally adjusted, up from 200 in August. As a result, the September unemployment rate stood at 3.6%, seasonally adjusted, unchanged from the revised August level.
Private-sector employment grew by 3,800 to 1,463,700 jobs over the month in September and is now up by 10,500 seasonally adjusted jobs over September 2018. The government supersector shed 200 jobs last month and remains down 1,700 jobs over the year.
Within Fairfield County, the labor market in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk corridor in September added 1,000 jobs, while the Danbury area saw no statistical change from the previous month.
“September was another good month for payroll job growth in Connecticut, pushing us above any level seen last year,” said Andy Condon, director of the DOL’s Office of Research. “However, almost all the growth came from an unusually high increase in the education component of the education and health services sector. We will have to wait and see if this level holds up in future months.”
Pete Gioia, economic adviser with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, lamented that Connecticut”™s 0.1% job growth lagged behind the other New England states and the national average.
But while he insisted that Connecticut still has “a great deal of challenges that must be addressed,” he was able to plumb some optimism from the data.
“Overall, it’s a month that on the face of it is positive ”“ but still needs to be watched,” Gioia said. “Hopefully we will continue to see gains in employment throughout the rest of the year.”
