Connecticut’s unemployment rate dropped by slightly to 3.6 percent in July despite the loss of 100 jobs, the Department of Labor reported Thursday. That’s because the labor department also revised June job losses from 1,400 positions lost to just 800.
The June unemployment rate was 3.7 percent.
Connecticut has gained 3,200 jobs over the past year and now has recovered 80 percent or 95,900 of the 120,300 positions lost during the last recession.
The private sector has fully recovered, having added 112,400 of the 112,000 jobs lost, a rate of 100.4 percent.
“July’s payroll employment was essentially flat to June’s,” said Andy Condon, director of the Office of Research at the labor department. “It’s important to recognize that there is plenty of hiring activity even if net growth is very small.”
Condon said, for example, that it took 76,000 hires and 71,000 firings, resignations and other job separations in the final quarter of 2018 to produce net growth of 5,000 jobs.
Six of Connecticut’s 10 major industry super-sectors gained employment in July led by the government, which added 600 positions. The government super-sector includes all federal, state and local employment, including public higher education and Native American casino employment located on tribal land.
Other super-sectors that recorded job gains last month included: information; education and health services; other services; financial activities; and trade, transportation and utilities.
The largest July decline, about 1,000 jobs, was recorded in the leisure and hospitality super-sector. Job losses also were recorded in manufacturing, professional and business services, and construction and mining.
The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk and New Haven regional labor markets added jobs last month, while Danbury remained unchanged. Job losses were recorded in the Waterbury, Norwich-New Lond0n-Westerly and Hartford markets.
