Connecticut recorded a loss of 700 jobs in January, a 0.04% year-over-year decline, according to new data from the state”™s Department of Labor, which also reported the job gains for December 2021 were revised lower by 1,100 to a 500 (-0.03%) position decline.
Connecticut industry employment is now 51,000 (3.2%) positions higher than the January 2021 job estimate of 1.58 million. Connecticut has now recovered 77.9% (225,500) of the 289,400 positions lost in the March and April 2020 Covid lockdown.
“Job growth was stronger in 2021 than previously estimated and the unemployment rate was lower,” said Patrick Flaherty, director of the Office of Research at the Connecticut Department of Labor. “Connecticut’s economy was not immune to the effects of the Omicron variant which caused weakness in December and January. Nevertheless, important industries such as manufacturing and construction continued to add jobs.”
During January, private sector employment declined by 1,700 jobs (-0.1%) to 1.4 million and is now higher by 47,300 positions (3.5%) from the revised January 2021 levels. The government supersector gained 1,000 jobs (0.4%) in January to a level of 226,300 and is 3,700 (1.7%) positions higher than January 2021.
The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk corridor had the greatest job gain in January with 3,500 new positions and the Greater Danbury area saw 100 new jobs added.
