Connecticut’s jobs picture received some good and more bad news Thursday.
The state Department of Labor (DOL) announced its previously-stated 400 job losses during the month of February was revised upward to a gain of 400 jobs.
However, that bit of good news was dampened by the state shedding 1,300 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate growing to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent.
DOL said the private sector lost 1,100 net jobs in March, while the government sector, including all federal, state and local employment, dropped another 200 jobs.
Connecticut still has more than 1.6 million seasonally adjusted jobs.
“With the March decline of 1,300 jobs the three-month average of job growth is now negative,” said Andy Condon, DOL’s director of the office of research. “However, annual job growth has actually improved as the first quarter of 2018 was very weak.”
Four of the state’s top 10 major industry supersectors gained jobs in March, according to DOL.
Financial activities led job gainers with a surge of 700 jobs, increasing its workforce to a total of 127,400. Trailing were trade, transportation and utilities, and education and health, which each added 200 jobs. Manufacturing employment was unchanged at 161,500 jobs.
Jobs declines were led by construction and mining with a loss of 900 jobs, down to a total of 61,200 jobs. Professional and business services shed another 600 jobs and the information supersector lost 100 positions.
The Norwich-New London-Westerly, R.I., region led job gains in the state with 600 net jobs and the Hartford region lost 200 jobs.
Connecticut has recovered 80.3 percent (96,600 jobs) of the 120,300 seasonally adjusted jobs lost in the 2008-2010 Great Recession.
