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CT unemployment rate drops slightly in August

The American Job Center in Hamden, CT.
Molly Ingram
/
WSHU
The American Job Center in Hamden, CT.

Connecticut’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.4% in August, according to the latest job report released by the state Department of Labor.

Patrick Flaherty, the department’s director of research, said the slight drop in the unemployment rate for August appears to be repeating a pattern that has emerged since the pandemic that has seen stronger job growth in the first half of the year.

“Some of this may be real as the warm winters may be accelerating economic activity into the first half of the year each year,” Flaherty said.

"It's also possible that the pandemic has altered the monthly pattern of job growth in a way that is not yet captured in the seasonal adjustment process based on historical data,” he said.

There are about 13,000 more government and private sector jobs in Connecticut than at this time a year ago.

The largest job gains were in private education and information.

“Health care and social assistance, local government and wholesale trade also gained. The largest drop was in manufacturing, which is now just slightly below its December level, after strong gains in the first four months of 2024,” Flaherty said.

He said this shows that the state’s economy is growing at a sustainable pace, even with the monthly ups and downs.

As WSHU Public Radio’s award-winning senior political reporter, Ebong Udoma draws on his extensive tenure to delve deep into state politics during a major election year.