Young, Hispanic, and African American workers in Connecticut are experiencing a disproportionately higher rate of unemployment in the state, according to a new report released Thursday.
The report, issued by the left leaning policy think tank Connecticut Voices for Children, also found that long-term unemployment – the share of the unemployed who have been out of work for at least six months – is relatively high in Connecticut, particularly among older workers, and has reached the ranks of the college-educated.
 “It is troubling that so much of our future workforce – especially young workers and the growing
Hispanic population — is unemployed now,” said Orlando Rodriguez, a senior policy fellow at
Connecticut Voices and co-author of the report. “This trend does not bode well for our future.”
Among the report’s key findings:
• Unemployment has most heavily affected young workers (18.2 percent), Hispanics (17.7 percent), and African-Americans (15.6 percent), compared to 7.5 percent for white workers and 9.1 percent overall.
• Long-term unemployment is relatively high in Connecticut (49.6 percent), is worst for older workers (60.1 percent), and has reached the ranks of the college-educated (50.4 percent).
• Geographically, the recession has been felt most heavily in urban regions and rural towns. Cities with the highest unemployment rates are Hartford (16.4 percent), Waterbury (14.5 percent), Bridgeport (14.3 percent), New Haven (13.8 percent), New Britain (13.2 percent), and New London (12.4 percent). Among rural towns, the highest rates were in Plainfield (11.7 percent) and Sprague (11.2 percent).
In response to the reports finding, Connecticut Voices is urging lawmakers to focus on several priorities during the upcoming special legislative session on job creation including establishing a comprehensive economic strategy that is more accountable for achieving job gains and reconsiders the state’s heavy reliance on business tax credits.
The organizations also wants further investment in education, training, and physical infrastructure, as well as solutions to tackle the high costs of living and doing business in Connecticut.
