The number of manufacturing jobs in Connecticut rose in January, the first increase to start a year since 1998, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In January, Connecticut had 166,900 manufacturing jobs, a 1.1 percent increase over January 2010. Manufacturing jobs in Connecticut have dropped steadily from 307,200 in January 1990 and reached an all-time low in January and February 2010.
The 2011 rebound for Connecticut came as manufacturing, continued its surge nationally, according to the Institute for Supply Chain Management. Economic activity in the national manufacturing sector expanded for the 19th consecutive month in February. The growth came particularly in the industries of apparel, leather and allied products; petroleum and coal products; transportation equipment; and electrical equipment.
February numbers were not yet available for Connecticut from either the Bureau of Labor Statistics or the Institute for Supply Chain Management. For the past three years, the number of manufacturing jobs have decreased from January to February, according to the bureau’s statistics.
Despite the increase in the number of jobs in January, the average weekly hours for production employees in Connecticut dropped below 40 hours per week for the first time since the statistic started being kept in 2001. The average weekly hours of 39.3 was a 5.1 percent drop from January 2010.
Pay was up, though. Connecticut manufacturing employees made $30.62 per hour in January, the highest level since the statistic started being kept in 2007.
Greater Hartford manufacturing employment mirrored the rest of the state, rising to 56,400 jobs in January, a 1 percent increase from January 2010. That was the first Greater Hartford increase to start a year since 2007.
