Connecticut Jobs Increase During May

Posted on June 23, 2009

Even though the state’s unemployment continued to increase, about 3,600 Connecticut jobs were added during May, a surprise to many people who are predicting the state will still see thousands of job cuts in the future.

During May, the unemployment rate in Connecticut managed to increase by only .1 percent, from 7.9 percent to 8 percent. Although this is high unemployment rate, it’s still lower than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. The State of Connecticut hasn’t seen its unemployment rate decrease since September 2008, when the unemployment rate went from 6.1 percent to 6 percent.

The state had a total non-farm employment of 1,643,900 workers during May, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 1,640,300 workers during April, but a 3.7 percent decrease from last year.

As has been the case in most places during the last few months, the construction industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year, but actually added jobs from the previous month. That industry employed 52,600 workers during May, up from 51,900 workers during April, but a 20.8 percent decrease from last year.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year jobs decline include:

• mining and logging by 12.5 percent
• manufacturing by 7.5 percent
• trade, transportation and utilities by 4 percent
• information by 8.9 percent
• financial activities by 2.8 percent
• professional and business services by 7.5 percent
• leisure and hospitality by .9 percent
• other services by .9 percent
• government by 1.2 percent

From month-to-month data, the trade transportation and utilities; leisure and hospitality and government industries added jobs. The mining and logging industry employed 700 workers, the same as during April.