Connecticut added 2,600 jobs in February, according to the state Department of Labor. However, Connecticut”™s unemployment rate of 4.6 percent was the highest among the New England states.
Last month saw 1,500 new construction and mining jobs added, with other growth industries including leisure and hospitality (1,100), financial services (700), education and health services (300), government (100) and a miscellaneous grab-bag defined as “other services” (100). But simultaneous to this job growth, the professional and business services lost 1,000 jobs while manufacturing and information sectors each recorded a loss of 100 jobs.
Pete Gioia, economist at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, expressed concern over February”™s job losses in key industries. “Over the year, these sectors are considerably up,” he said. “We”™ve actually added 5,500 manufacturing jobs year-over-year,”
Nonetheless, Gioia stated that the February numbers were mostly satisfactory. “This is another positive report, and it”™s great to start the year with two months of growth,” he said. “Now we need to make sure that we maintain this momentum and be watchful of the factors that can erode job growth. The most glaring example is business confidence in things like the state budget, and since we find ourselves in another deficit, it”™s critical that lawmakers create an environment where businesses feel confident to invest and create even more jobs.”
