Connecticut lost 2,000 jobs in March

Connecticut lost 2,000 jobs during March, according to data released by the state”™s Department of Labor (DOL). The state’s workforce also shrank by 4,000, as a result, Connecticut’s unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a point to 4.5 percent in March.

“March’s decline of 2,000 jobs was the first down month the state has seen since last October,” Andy Condon, director of the DOL”™s Office of Research, said. “The largest declines were in retail trade and accommodations and food services, both of which may have been adversely affected by the nor’easters last month”

The private sector lost 1,900 jobs during March but was up by 12,200 (0.8 percent) on a seasonally adjusted measurement from one year earlier. The greatest job losses were recorded in the trade, transportation and utilities category, which suffered a loss of 1,500 jobs; and the leisure and hospitality sector, which saw the disappearance of 1,300 jobs.

Pete Gioia, economist at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, lamented that Connecticut was out of step with the rest of the nation when it came to economic vibrancy.

“The national and regional economies continue to see solid growth and we should be able to capture some of that, but we aren’t,” he complained, adding that state legislators appear to be clueless on the subject of job development. “There is a lack of focus at the state Capitol. When lawmakers should be focusing on job creation, they want to pass more employer mandates. That not only makes it more difficult to create new jobs, but makes it more costly to operate a business in Connecticut.”