Figures released this morning by the state Department of Labor show Connecticut added 5,100 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate held steady at 5.1 percent.
Based on numbers supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state’s private sector added 5,200 jobs in November and has added 26,700 positions (1.8 percent, 2,225 jobs per month) over the year to a level of 1,462,200, seasonally adjusted. Overall, Connecticut has 1,699,700 people in its workforce. The private sector is now estimated to have recovered 113,400 of the 111,600 jobs lost in the Great Recession and has entered an expansionary phase. The government sector lost 100 jobs last month, but is still slightly positive for the year.
“Job growth in November was broad-based and noteworthy after two months of declines,” said Andy Condon, director of the Labor Department’s Office of Research, in a statement. “Private sector job growth reached a landmark, recovering the losses seen in the 2008 to 2010 recession.”
Seven of the 10 major industry sectors added jobs in November, led by leisure and hospitality. The Labor Department said persisting warmer weather last month may have helped boost arts, entertainment, and recreation and the accommodation and food services sectors. The leisure and hospitality supersector also led all 10 major industry supersectors in job growth.
The state needs to reach the 1,713,000 job level to enter a full nonfarm employment expansionary phase. This will require an additional 13,300 nonfarm jobs, according to the Labor Department.
