Employers in Connecticut shed 1,400 jobs in June thanks in part to a significant loss in government employment, state labor officials said Thursday.
The state Department of Labor (DOL) also had other grim news Thursday, announcing it revised its May estimate of a 1,500-job loss downward, to 1,900 jobs.
Despite the job losses, the state’s unemployment rate fell 0.1 percent to 3.7 percent as its jobless population stood at 70,900, down 800 from May. By comparison, the state had an estimated 72,500 unemployed residents in April and 73,900 in February.
For the year, nonagricultural employment in the state has risen by 4,000 jobs.
“Changes in school calendars and the timing of summer employment can often make seasonal adjustment of local government difficult,” said Andy Condon, DOL’s director of research. “We will have to wait until next month to see if this drop in government employment was an anomaly.”
DOL said Connecticut’s private sector grew by 800 jobs to 1.45 million in June, adding that four of the state’s 10 major industry supersectors added employment during the month. The manufacturing supersector remained unchanged at 160,700 total jobs.
Education and health services led job growth adding 1,600 jobs for a total of 340,700 jobs. Other industry gainers included financial activities (600 jobs added), professional and business services (400 jobs) and leisure and hospitality (100 jobs).
Job losses were led by the government sector with a decline of 2,000 jobs for a total of 233,700, followed by a loss of 1,100 jobs in construction and mining, and “other services” and “trade, transportation and utilities” dropped by another 400 and 300 jobs, respectively.
The Hartford metro area contributed the largest job losses of any region in June, shedding 1,300 jobs. Meantime, the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk market lost 1,100 jobs and the Waterbury market shed 500 jobs.
The New Haven area gained 300 jobs and the Norwich-New London-Wasterly, CT-RI, market added 200 jobs. The Danbury market remained unchanged.
Connecticut has recovered 79.3, or 95,400 jobs, of the 120,300 seasonally adjusted jobs it lost in the 2008-2010 Great Recession. That’s down from 80.8 percent in DOL’s May report.