The Connecticut Department of Labor reported the state lost 7,600 net jobs in March to a level of 1,691,000 seasonally adjusted. However, the department noted this did not reflect the full severity of March”™s COVID-19 mayhem on the state”™s economy.
“The (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) survey data, based on the week containing the 12th of the month did not capture the dramatic events precipitated by the COVID-19 virus impacts,” said Andy Condon, director of the Office of Research at the Connecticut Department of Labor. “We know from unemployment insurance claims that the leisure and hospitality, health care and retail sectors were severely impacted by furloughs and closures. We will have a more accurate picture of employment impacts in next month’s report.”
February”™s originally released job gain of 4,000 was revised down to a gain of 2,700. As a result, the number of the state’s unemployed residents was estimated at 72,183, seasonally adjusted, down 398 from the revised February level, which put the seasonally adjusted March unemployment rate at 3.7%, a scant one-tenth of a percent drop from the revised February level.
Private sector employment fell by 6,500 to 1,455,700 jobs over the month in March, and are now up by 5,400 seasonally adjusted jobs over March 2019. Government employment fell by 1,100 jobs in March to a total of 236,200, and is down by 100 jobs over the year.
Within Fairfield County, the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk corridor shed 2,300 jobs and the Danbury area lost 800 positions.
