The latest employment report from the state Department of Labor showed a hopeful pick-up in job creation in Connecticut last year. But it also revealed a big loss in jobs in the first month of this year.
The state lost 10,400 jobs in January.
The state lost 10,400 jobs in January. Labor officials said that's likely due to the harsh weather the state's been experiencing.
The revised numbers for 2013 showed that employers in the state created more than 18,400 jobs over the year, marking the best performance for the state since 2006.
Governor Dannel Malloy said he's encouraged by the report, especially the news that private sector employers have created 52,500 jobs over the last three years in Connecticut. In the same period of time, the state has also seen a trending decline in people filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits.
The state's unemployment rate, which is calculated on a separate household survey, fell from eight percent to 7.2 percent in January.
Jerry Labriola, Chairman of the Connecticut Republic Party, called January's job losses "alarming," and pointed out that the state's unemployment has exceeded the national average for the last two years.
Peter Gioia, chief economist for the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said the January numbers are "some of the worst news we've seen in quite some time." He added that combined with the drop in the unemployment rate, the data raises more questions than it answers.
