Connecticut’s above-average minimum wage and safeguards against workplace abuses that make for an enticing standard of living also provide a “poor” environment for creating jobs, a new report finds.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in its 116-page report released online Thursday, cited those and other factors in ranking Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and 12 other states in the Tier III category for ‘’poor” job creation.
The chamber acknowledged releasing its report in the wake of heightened regulation confronting employers as well as a surge in workplace litigation, two trends it says are crimping hiring decisions and business expansion.
For Connecticut, in particular, the chamber report also cited as limiting factors: Restrictions on the at-will employment doctrine; detailed wage and hour laws that differ from federal standards; multiple state leave protections beyond federal requirements; significant restrictions on independent contractor relationships; state WARN-type requirements that exceed federal law; and restrictions on employer inquiries to applicant history.
The report also took note of Connecticut’s crackdown on employers’ abuse of misclassified independent contractors. It noted that state law allows state and federal authorities to pursue violators and to impose fines of up to $300 per day per contractor.
Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont were listed among the 20 states with Tier II “fair” job-creation policies.
Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia were among the 15 states ranked in Tier I “good.”
