Connecticut’s and New England’s unemployment rates were virtually flat in July, compared with a year ago, in contrast to much of the nation, a new federal report shows.
New England’s unemployment rate edged up to 4.1 percent in July from 4 percent year over year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Connecticut’s unemployment rate slid to 5 percent in July from 5.1 percent in the year-ago period.
The U.S. unemployment rate in July declined to 4.3 percent from 4.9 percent, the BLS reported.
The only other New England state to stay virtually unchanged is New Hampshire, which declined to 2.8 percent in July compared to 2.9 percent a year ago.
The other new England states’ unemployment rates in July were: Maine, 3.7 percent (down three-tenths of a percent); Massachusetts, 4.3 percent, (up seven-tenths of a percent); Rhode Island, 4.3 percent, (down 1.1 percent); and Vermont, 3.1 percent, (a decline of two-tenths of a percent).
