Connecticut employers posted fewer job openings in December, while hiring and separations both increased, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Already a Subscriber? Log in
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Hartford Business Journal and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Hartford and Connecticut business news updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication.
- Special bonus issues like the Hartford Book of Lists.
- Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Connecticut employers posted fewer job openings in December, while hiring and separations both increased, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The state recorded 68,000 job openings in December 2025, down from 74,000 in November. Connecticut’s job openings rate was 3.8%, a decline from 4.1% the prior month.
A year earlier, in December 2024, the state had 76,000 job openings.
Nationally, job openings also declined: there were an estimated 6.54 million available positions in December, and the national openings rate eased to 3.9%.
While openings softened, hiring in Connecticut rose. Employers made 58,000 hires in December, up from 55,000 the prior month. Connecticut’s hires rate was 3.4%, slightly above the national hires rate of 3.3%.
National hires rates were little changed from November.
Total separations in the state increased to 55,000 in December from 52,000 in November, with a separations rate of 3.2%, slightly below the U.S. rate of 3.3%.
Nationwide, total separations — which include quits, layoffs and other separations — held near recent levels.
Within separations, Connecticut recorded 29,000 quits, down slightly from 30,000 in November. The state’s quits rate held at 1.7%, compared with 2% nationally, a gauge often used as an indicator of worker confidence in labor market opportunities.
Layoffs and discharges in Connecticut increased modestly to 21,000, with the layoffs and discharges rate at about 1.2%, roughly in line with the national rate.
Economists view the quits rate as a signal of labor market strength; the steadier national quits rate suggests workers continue to leave jobs by choice at a consistent pace. At the same time, the slight softening in openings both in Connecticut and nationally could reflect employers taking a more cautious stance on recruiting new workers as 2026 begins.
The December figures are seasonally adjusted and preliminary.
