Connecticut’s nonfarm jobs increased for the fifth consecutive month in June. The state added 1,700 jobs last month and has gained 5,300 jobs so far in 2014, according to a state Department of Labor report. The 0.1 percent job increase from May to June suggests a steady but gradual recovery.
The state’s unemployment rate last month was 6.7 percent, down from 6.9 percent in May and lower by a full percentage point from June 2013, when it was 7.9 percent. The jobless rate has not been this low since December 2008, according to the report.
Last month’s unemployment rate marked the biggest monthly drop this year. Since June 2013, the number of unemployed residents has declined by 20,876.
“Connecticut’s unemployment rate continues to decline for all the right reasons, such as broad industry job growth coupled with declining unemployment, and an expanding labor force,” said Andrew Condon, director of the Labor Department’s Office of Research, in a statement. “Summer seasonal hiring seems to have begun at expected rates.”
Private-sector jobs increased by just 500, or 0.03 percent, in June, while government positions rose by 1,200, or 0.5 percent.
Government was the leading industry supersector for growth last month, followed by professional and business services, which increased by 0.3 percent.
