Net Job Loss for Conecticut in May

Editor’s Note: Patch is re-running this story in case you missed it the first time around.

Connecticut shed 1,400 nonfarm jobs in the month of May, but the state's unemployment rate remained at 5.7 percent, according to new data released by the state Department of Labor Thursday.

The drop marks the state's first monthly net decline in jobs this year, and was led largely by the retail sector which lost 2,700 positions.

By comparison, Connecticut's 5.7 percent unemployment rate lags behind the nation's 4.7 percent, or a full percentage point.

“Connecticut’s decline of 1,400 jobs in May follows a very slow month for job growth across the country,” said Andy Condon, Director of the Office of Research, in a statement. “Our labor force saw small but equal percentage declines in both residents employed and unemployed, resulting in an unchanged unemployment rate.”

The state's manufacturing sector gained about 1,200 jobsin May, one of a few bright spots in the labor market, reports CT Mirror.

But overall, the month's employment stats disappointed Connecticut Business and Industry Association economist Peter Gioia, who told the Mirror that Connecticut is still struggling.

Click here to view the state Department of Labor's release, and click here to read the full story on the CT Mirror website.

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