The unemployment rate in Connecticut dipped to 6.6 percent last month, down from 6.7 percent in June and 7.9 percent in July 2013. The national jobless rate was 6.2 percent in July, a 1.1 percent drop from the same time last year.
Connecticut experienced its first back-to-back, June-to-July, nonfarm employment gain since the economic recovery began in early 2010, according to the state Department of Labor.
“This growth, along with continued declines in the number of unemployed, may be an indication that the moderate employment growth we have seen this year will be sustainable for some time,” said Andy Condon, research director at the Labor Department.
In Connecticut, 23,545 fewer people were unemployed compared to July 2013. The state’s labor force, defined as those employed or looking for work, has increased by 12,428, or 0.7 percent, since July last year. The labor force shrank by 0.3 percent, or 6,311 people, from June to July.
