Connecticut lost 11,500 jobs in December, pushing the unemployment rate to 7.1 percent from 6.6 percent in November, the state Labor Department said today.
With a downward revision in job losses for November, Connecticut saw employment drop by 25,200 in the fourth quarter. That represented 86 percent of all jobs lost statewide the entire year, said state Labor Economist John Tirinzonie.
U.S. unemployment reached 7.2 percent last month.
December job losses were greatest in trade, transportation and utilities, which plummeted 4,500 from November, the Labor Department said.
Construction and leisure and hospitality each fell 1,900, and professional and business services lost 1,500 jobs. Manufacturing was in the red by 500.
Job losses within the construction sector have been accelerating at a rapid pace over the last several months.
Educational and health services managed to inch up by 100 jobs, thanks to gains in health care and social assistance, while both financial activities and government posted a fairly small one-month decline, with each losing 200. Other services saw payroll numbers shrink by 300 during that time period.
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