June unemployment rate flat in Ellis County

The unemployment rate in Connecticut in June was 5.7 percent, down from 6 percent in May.

Connecticut’s unemployment rate is below 6 percent for the first time in six years, according to new data from the state Department of Labor.

The government supersector faced the biggest drop in June, shedding 2,000 jobs – primarily at the municipal government level. Click the map above for a county-by-county breakdown of unemployment rates.

Gov. Dannel Malloy released a statement on Monday about the unemployment rate.

The rate for the Island of Maui was up to 4.2% compared with May’s 3.8 percent, but still lower that last year’s 4.8%.

“Overall, we’ve seen a recovery of 82 percent of the jobs lost since the recession”, he said, “but if you look at just the private sector alone, we’ve recovered 94 percent of the jobs”.

Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research for DataCore Partners in New Haven, said that although unemployment rates frequently are cited as an indicator of economic health, “it’s not the best measure that you can use”.

The fact that Connecticut only added 600 jobs in June is a much more telling statistic for the state, he said.

The construction and mining supersector enjoyed the biggest gain, adding 2,300 positions in June, while financial activities, manufacturing and professional and business services also grew.

Connecticut has added 27,000 jobs over the past 12 months, reaching total employment of 1.69 million.

The Connecticut Department of Labor’s monthly Labor Situation report for June 2015 shows some improvement in the state’s job growth.

The Healthcare and social assistance segment shrank by 900 jobs in June, according to initial estimates, though it’s still one of the largest growth sectors for the year.