Connecticut netted 4,900 new nonfarm jobs in March, while the unemployment rate stayed at 7 percent for the second month in a row, the state’s Department of Labor said.
Labor officials said the state’s employment growth appears to be returning to the “moderate expansion pace” observed before cold weather hit at the beginning of the year.
The DOL also revised the state’s February gains by 600 jobs, to a total of 1,400.
Leading the job growth in March were hotels and restaurants, which accounted for 2,300 net jobs gained. That was followed by trade, transportation and utilities, which added 2,000. Meanwhile, retail added 1,700.
The two industry sectors that lost jobs were professional and business services (-900) and construction and mining (-700).
The unemployment rate has fallen from 7.8 percent a year ago, while the state has added 9,400 jobs.
