Connecticut unemployment down in June

This story corrects that total job growth was 600 jobs as private sector increase was 2,600 jobs.

The new rate is three-tenths of a percent lower than May and eight-tenths of a percent lower than June 2014.

In addition the reports states the average private sector work week is 33. The not seasonally adjusted rate for the state was 4.4 percent in June, up from 3.9 percent in May. “We are no doubt making progress, and our strategy is no doubt moving Connecticut forward”, said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in a statement.

The US unemployment rate in June was 5.3 percent; because of the margin of error in the Connecticut survey, the gap is not considered statistically significant, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but Connecticut’s rate has generally remained higher than the national rate over the last four years.

For the first time in more than seven years, the state’s unemployment levels dropped below 6 percent, according to data released Monday by the state Department of Labor. These numbers represent another achievement reached, another marker that residents’ lives are improving, and another indicator that our economy continues to head in the right direction as a result of our efforts to create jobs. “This news comes just a month after we created almost 6,000 jobs, a huge one-month total”.

There were 648,850 employed and 26,850 unemployed last month. Economists, however, were underwhelmed by the comparatively small number of jobs that were added in June.

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.

The greater Hartford area was the biggest loser, shedding 1,500 positions, while the Norwich-New London-Westerly market dropped 500.