WETHERSFIELD, October 21, 2021 – Connecticut employment gains were estimated at 4,700 (0.3%)
for September 2021 (seasonally adjusted). Connecticut nonfarm jobs are now 40,500 (2.6%) positions
higher than the September 2020 job levels at 1,609,700. This is the ninth consecutive monthly gain in
2021. Connecticut has now recovered 70.4% (205,800) of the 292,400 positions lost in the March and
April 2020 COVID lockdown period. August 2021 job gains were revised slightly lower by 300 to a 3,000
(0.2%) gain. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) produces these monthly statewide industry job
estimates through the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program from a sample of businesses in the
state.
“Connecticut gained jobs in September, building on the strong gains seen over the summer,” said Patrick
Flaherty, Director of the Office of Research at the Connecticut Department of Labor. “The
unemployment rate has fallen in six of the last seven months, and September’s decline came as the
labor force expanded and the number of unemployed fell by more than 6,000.”
Private sector employment improved by 4,900 jobs (0.4%) to 1,385,300 in September 2021 – now up
41,000 jobs (3.1%) from September 2020. The government supersector was just slightly lower by 200
jobs (-0.1%) in September to a level of 224,400. This is 500 (-0.2%) positions lower than September
2020. Year-ago federal government job levels were temporarily bolstered from the Census jobs at that
time. The government supersector includes all federal, state, and local employment, including public
education and Native American casino employment located on tribal reservation land.
Connecticut Labor Market Areas (LMAs): Five out of the six Connecticut LMAs, that are seasonally
adjusted by the BLS, had employment gains in September 2021, with just one regional labor market
posting a small decline. The Hartford LMA (0.8%, 555,000) posted the largest monthly gain of 4,400.
The Norwich-New London-Westerly LMA (2.9%, 119,000) was next, adding 3,300 jobs. The
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk LMA (0.5%, 377,900) added 2,000 positions, while the New Haven
LMA (0.4%, 289,800) increased employment by 1,000. The Danbury LMA was also higher by 400 jobs
(0.6%, 73,400). The Waterbury LMA declined slightly (-200, -0.3%, 65,600).
Note: The six major Connecticut LMAs are estimated independently from the statewide data by the BLS and cover
more than 90% of the nonfarm employment in the state. Thus, estimates will not fully sum to the statewide total.
Hours and Earnings: The September 2021 private sector workweek, not seasonally adjusted,
averaged 34.1 hours – this is unchanged from the September 2020 level (0.0%, 34.1). Average hourly
earnings at $33.93, not seasonally adjusted, were higher by just $0.18 (0.05%) from the September 2020
estimate of $33.75. The resultant September 2021 private sector weekly wage averaged $1,157.01, up
only $6.13 from a year ago (0.05%). The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, U.S.
City Average, not seasonally adjusted) in September 2021 was up 5.4% from September 2020. Current
all-employee private sector hours and earnings estimates can be volatile due to fluctuating sample
responses.
Labor Force Data (residential household survey)
The September 2021 unemployment rate for Connecticut was estimated by the BLS Local Area
Unemployment Statistics program (LAUS) to be 6.8% (seasonally adjusted), down by 0.4 percentage
point from the August 2021 level of 7.2%. The Connecticut unemployment rate was 8.3% in September
2020. The U.S. jobless rate in September 2021 was 4.8%, down four-tenths of a percentage point from
the August 2021 rate of 5.2% and below the 7.8% year-ago U.S. unemployment rate.
Unemployment claims for first-time filers (seasonally adjusted) in Connecticut were an average of 3,730
per week in September 2021, down 969 (-20.6%) from the August 2021 (4,699) level and much lower by
3,678 claims (-49.6%) from the average weekly count of 7,408 in September 2020. This level of monthly
average weekly initial claims is the lowest in the state since February 2020 (3,243), just before the
COVID lockdown.