Connecticut Summer Jobs Created by ARRA

Posted on June 1, 2009

Thousands of youth will have the chance to partake in Connecticut summer jobs, thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The State of Connecticut will use $11 million in federal stimulus money to help young people get summer jobs. The funding will create 4,500 jobs for those 14 to 24-years old. The majority of the jobs will capitalize on the vast computer skills that many young people posses.

To be eligible, the youth’s family must be near the federal poverty level and they must have disabilities or other barriers to employment. Those who are selected will work 16 to 24 hours per week and earn minimum wage. They will work with public programs, private employers, nonprofit groups, municipal sites, state college campuses, hospitals and banks.

Connecticut is receiving a total of $3 billion in federal stimulus money, which is plans to use to even out local budgets, avoid layoffs and provide money for certain transportation projects that have been on the back burner.

With any luck, the new jobs will inject some hope into Connecticut’s declining economy. During April, the state’s unemployment rate increased from 7.5 percent to 7.9 percent, which is lower than the national unemployment rate of 8.9 percent.

The state had a total non-farm employment of 1,640,400 workers during April, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,652,200 workers during March and a 3.8 percent decrease from last year.