Connecticut and New England are still struggling to recover in a weak economy and isn’t expected to return to pre-recession job levels until early 2014, The Associated Press reports, citing an economic forecaster.
“There is significant uncertainty in the global and national economies that could have significant negative impact on the New England economy,” said University of New Hampshire economist Ross Gittell. “This includes government at all levels under significant stress, volatile energy markets, declining housing prices,” the author of the forecast for the New England Economic Partnership said.
Gittell and other economists in the region are making presentations for the spring economic outlook at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston on Thursday.
Gittell said the region experienced a dip in growth in the first quarter of 2011, but is expected to pick up growth in the last half of the year.
He said Connecticut is expected to have the lowest employment growth.
New Hampshire is expected to continue to have the highest employment growth rate, but at a rate below the U.S. average.
Rhode Island is expected to have the highest unemployment rate.
