Connecticut Department of Labor's Office of Research

Labor Market Information - State of Connecticut Labor Situation

State of Connecticut Labor Situation

Last Updated: January 27, 2024

CT job gains accelerate (+5,100) in December as jobless rate remains steady at low 3.0%.

	WETHERSFIELD, January 27,2025 - Connecticut nonfarm payrolls swelled 5,100 jobs (0.3%) in December 2024 to a level of 1,715,900 while the unemployment rate was stable at 3.0% for the third month in a row (preliminary data, seasonally adjusted). Statewide industry jobs are now 20,100 (1.2%) positions higher than a year ago. November’s preliminary small job gain of 300 (0.02%) was upgraded 1,500 on the normal monthly revision to an 1,800 (0.1%) employment gain. The December 2024 Connecticut jobless rate (3.0%) is significantly below a year ago (4.2%) and well below the nation (4.1%). This labor statistics release includes estimated data from two different monthly surveys (businesses and households) produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in cooperation with the States. “Connecticut ended 2024 in a solid position with growth in a wide range of industries and low unemployment,” said Patrick Flaherty, Director of the Office of Research at the Connecticut Department of Labor. “Among many encouraging signs, private sector jobs are at an all-time high and the unemployment rate remains at its lowest level since 2001.”

Nonfarm Jobs Detail (business establishment survey)

Connecticut’s Private Sector employment increased in December 2024 by 4,700 (0.3%) to 1,482,400 and is higher by 19,900 jobs (1.4%) from the December 2023 level. Retail was strong (1,600,1.0%) in a compressed holiday season with overall broad sector gains. November’s preliminary private sector's gain of 800 jobs was adjusted higher on revision to a 2,200 (0.2%) increase. The government supersector was also higher by 400 jobs (0.2%) in December to a level of 233,500 jobs, breaking a string of losses, and is now slightly higher by 200 (0.1%) positions over-the-year but only 84.4% recovered from Covid. Connecticut’s aggregate government supersector consists of all civilian federal, state, local, and tribal government employment, including public education and Native American casino jobs located on federally recognized tribal reservations.

Eight of the ten major industry supersectors increased jobs in December 2024, while just one declined and the Manufacturing supersector was unchanged.

The nine industry supersectors that increased employment or were unchanged in December 2024 included:

Trade, Transportation & Utilities +1,900 0.6% 299,000
Educational and Health Services +1,400 0.4% 371,800
Leisure & Hospitality +600 0.4% 157,200
Financial Activities +400 0.3% 120,400
Government +400 0.2% 233,500
Information +200 0.7% 29,800
Other Services +200 0.3% 64,800
Construction and Mining +100 0.2% 63,000
Manufacturing unchanged 0.0% 157,800

The sole industry supersector that fell in jobs in December 2024 was:

Professional and Business Services -100 -0.05% 218,600


CONNECTICUT AND THE UNITED STATES - Seasonally Adjusted
	December	November	October	September	December	Over Month		Over Year
	2024 P	2024 R	2024	2024	2023	Change	Rate	Change	Rate

CONNECTICUT	1,715,900	1,710,800	1,709,000	1,709,300	1,695,800	5,100	0.3%	20,100	1.2%
Total Private	1,482,400	1,477,700	1,475,500	1,474,400	1,462,500	4,700	0.3%	19,900	1.4%
Goods Producing Industries
Mining	500	500	600	600	500	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
Construction	62,500	62,400	62,200	61,900	61,500	100	0.2%	1,000	1.6%
Manufacturing	157,800	157,800	158,100	158,000	157,900	0	0.0%	-100	-0.1%
Durable Goods	123,800	123,700	124,100	123,900	123,800	100	0.1%	0	0.0%
Nondurable Goods	34,000	34,100	34,000	34,100	34,100	-100	-0.3%	-100	-0.3%
Service Providing Industries
Trade, Transportation & Utilities	299,000	297,100	296,700	295,700	299,200	1,900	0.6%	-200	-0.1%
Wholesale	62,900	62,500	62,200	62,000	61,200	400	0.6%	1,700	2.8%
Retail	164,800	163,200	163,500	164,000	165,500	1,600	1.0%	-700	-0.4%
Transp, Warehousing & Utilities	71,300	71,400	71,000	69,700	72,500	-100	-0.1%	-1,200	-1.7%
Information	29,800	29,600	30,100	30,000	30,200	200	0.7%	-400	-1.3%
Financial Activities	120,400	120,000	119,100	119,300	117,500	400	0.3%	2,900	2.5%
Finance & Insurance	100,100	99,800	99,100	99,400	97,800	300	0.3%	2,300	2.4%
Real Estate, Rental & Leasing	20,300	20,200	20,000	19,900	19,700	100	0.5%	600	3.0%
Professional & Business Services	218,600	218,700	219,500	220,100	220,900	-100	0.0%	-2,300	-1.0%
Prof, Scientific & Tech Services	100,700	101,100	101,600	101,500	100,300	-400	-0.4%	400	0.4%
Management of Companies	31,700	31,700	31,700	32,200	31,600	0	0.0%	100	0.3%
Admn & Support & Waste Mgt Serv	86,200	85,900	86,200	86,400	89,000	300	0.3%	-2,800	-3.1%
Educational & Health Services	371,800	370,400	368,400	368,500	356,500	1,400	0.4%	15,300	4.3%
Private Educational Services	75,200	75,100	74,300	74,300	72,400	100	0.1%	2,800	3.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance	296,600	295,300	294,100	294,200	284,100	1,300	0.4%	12,500	4.4%
Leisure and Hospitality	157,200	156,600	156,400	156,200	153,300	600	0.4%	3,900	2.5%
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation	30,000	29,900	29,600	29,400	28,300	100	0.3%	1,700	6.0%
Accommodation & Food Services	127,200	126,700	126,800	126,800	125,000	500	0.4%	2,200	1.8%
Other Services	64,800	64,600	64,400	64,100	65,000	200	0.3%	-200	-0.3%
Government**	233,500	233,100	233,500	234,900	233,300	400	0.2%	200	0.1%
UNITED STATES	159,536,000	159,280,000	159,068,000	159,025,000	157,304,000	256,000	0.2%	2,232,000	1.4%

Connecticut Labor Market Areas (LMAs): All six of the major Connecticut LMAs that are seasonally adjusted by the BLS (about 92.3% of the state) put forth nonfarm payroll job gains in December 2024. The largest Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford LMA (0.3%, 591,100) increased 1,700, leading in magnitude, while the Waterbury LMA (0.5%, 66,900) added 300 jobs leading in monthly percentage gains. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk LMA (0.4%, 411,300) added 1,500 positions and the New Haven LMA (0.4%, 308,800) increased 1,100. The Norwich-New London-Westerly LMA (0.4%, 127,000) chipped in 500 jobs and the Danbury LMA (0.4%, 78,400) was up by 300.


LABOR MARKET AREAS (LMA)
Labor Market Area employment estimates are made independently of Statewide estimates.

	December	November	October	September	December	Over Month		Over Year
Seasonally Adjusted data	2024 P	2024 R	2024	2024	2023	Change	Rate	Change	Rate
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk	411,300	409,800	409,500	409,900	406,900	1,500	0.4%	4,400	1.1%
Danbury	78,400	78,100	78,200	78,300	78,000	300	0.4%	400	0.5%
Hartford	591,100	589,400	588,500	588,500	580,100	1,700	0.3%	11,000	1.9%
New Haven	308,800	307,700	305,900	306,300	302,600	1,100	0.4%	6,200	2.0%
Norwich-New London-Westerly, RI	127,000	126,500	126,500	126,200	126,500	500	0.4%	500	0.4%
Waterbury	66,900	66,600	66,700	66,900	66,700	300	0.5%	200	0.3%
Not Seasonally Adjusted data (Non
Enfield	43,300	43,400	43,100	43,000	43,300	-100	-0.2%	0	0.0%
Torrington-Northwest	33,300	33,400	33,500	33,500	32,800	-100	-0.3%	500	1.5%
Danielson-Northeast	26,800	26,900	26,800	26,800	27,200	-100	-0.4%	-400	-1.5%

* Less than					P = Preliminary		R = Revised

Note: 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 December 2024 Private Sector average workweek, not seasonally adjusted, averaged 33.8 hours (AWH). This is up three-tenths of an hour from the December 2023 average of 33.5 hours (0.9%). Average hourly earnings (AHE) at $38.98 in December 2024, not seasonally adjusted, were up by $2.05 (5.6%) from the December 2023 estimate of $36.93. The subsequent December 2024 private sector average weekly earnings (AWE) were estimated at $1,317.52, higher by $80.36 (6.5%) from a year ago ($1,237.16).

CONNECTICUT Statewide - Not Seasonally Adjusted

	Average Weekly Earnings				Average Weekly Hours				Average Hourly Earnings

	Dec.	Dec.	Change	Nov.	Dec.	Dec.	Change	Nov.	Dec.	Dec.	Change	Nov.
	2024 P	2023	over Yr.	2024 R	2024 P	2023	over Yr.	2024 R	2024 P	2023	over Yr.	2024 R
Private Industry
All Employees	$1,317.52	$1,237.16	$80.36	$1,286.88	33.8	33.5	0.3	33.6	$38.98	$36.93	$2.05	$38.30

Manufacturing*
Production Workers	$1,244.24	$1,187.16	$57.08	$1,235.96	39.3	39.0	0.3	39.5	$31.66	$30.44	$1.22	$31.29
* Production worker
P = Preliminary	R = Revised

Note: Current all-employee private sector hours and earnings estimates can be volatile due to fluctuating sample responses.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in December, after rising 0.3 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.9 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The index for energy rose 2.6 percent in December, accounting for over forty percent of the monthly all items increase. The gasoline index increased 4.4 percent over the month. The index for food also increased in December, rising 0.3 percent as both the index for food at home and the index for food away from home increased 0.3 percent each.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in December, after increasing 0.3 percent in each of the previous 4 months. Indexes that increased in December include shelter, airline fares, usedcars and trucks, new vehicles, motor vehicle insurance, and medical care. The indexes for personal care, communication, and alcoholic beverages were among the few major indexes that decreased over the month.

The all items index rose 2.9 percent for the 12 months ending December, after rising 2.7 percent over the 12 months ending November. The all items less food and energy index rose 3.2 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index decreased 0.5 percent for the 12 months ending December. The food index increased 2.5 percent over the last year.

State of Connecticut Unemployment Rate vs. United States Unemployment Rate

The preliminary December 2024 unemployment rate for Connecticut was estimated by the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics program (LAUS) to be 3.0% (seasonally adjusted) for the third consecutive month. This is down from December 2023 when it was 4.2%. The U.S. unemployment rate for December 2024 was 4.1%, down one-tenth of one percent from the November 2024 rate and higher over the year from 3.8% in December 2023. The CT jobless rate has been below the U.S. unemployment rate since June 2024.

Month	2016			2017			2018			2019			2020			2021			2022			2023			2024			2025
Month	CT	U.S.		CT	U.S.		CT	U.S.		CT	U.S.		CT	U.S.		CT	U.S.		CT	U.S.		CT	U.S.		CT	U.S.		CT	U.S.
Jan	5.2	4.8	-0.4	4.6	4.7	0.1	4.2	4.0	-0.2	3.7	4.0	0.3	3.8	3.6	-0.2	7.1	6.4	-0.7	4.9	4.0	-0.9	3.6	3.4	-0.2	4.4	3.7	-0.7
Feb	5.2	4.9	-0.3	4.5	4.6	0.1	4.1	4.1	0.0	3.6	3.8	0.2	3.8	3.5	-0.3	7.1	6.2	-0.9	4.6	3.8	-0.8	3.5	3.6	0.1	4.5	3.9	-0.6
Mar	5.1	5.0	-0.1	4.5	4.4	-0.1	4.1	4.0	-0.1	3.6	3.8	0.2	3.9	4.4	0.5	7.0	6.1	-0.9	4.4	3.6	-0.8	3.4	3.5	0.1	4.5	3.8	-0.7
Apr	5.0	5.1	0.1	4.5	4.4	-0.1	4.0	4.0	0.0	3.5	3.7	0.2	8.3	14.9	6.6	7.1	6.1	-1.0	4.3	3.7	-0.6	3.3	3.4	0.1	4.4	3.9	-0.5
May	4.9	4.8	-0.1	4.4	4.4	0.0	3.9	3.8	-0.1	3.5	3.6	0.1	11.8	13.3	1.5	6.9	5.8	-1.1	4.1	3.6	-0.5	3.3	3.7	0.4	4.3	4.0	-0.3
Jun	4.9	4.9	0.0	4.4	4.3	-0.1	3.9	4.0	0.1	3.5	3.6	0.1	11.5	11.0	-0.5	6.8	5.9	-0.9	4.0	3.6	-0.4	3.4	3.6	0.2	3.9	4.1	0.2
Jul	4.8	4.8	0.0	4.4	4.3	-0.1	3.8	3.8	0.0	3.5	3.7	0.2	11.7	10.2	-1.5	6.5	5.4	-1.1	3.9	3.5	-0.4	3.6	3.5	-0.1	3.6	4.3	0.7
Aug	4.7	4.9	0.2	4.4	4.4	0.0	3.8	3.8	0.0	3.6	3.6	0.0	9.6	8.4	-1.2	6.2	5.1	-1.1	3.8	3.6	-0.2	3.8	3.8	0.0	3.4	4.2	0.8
Sep	4.7	5.0	0.3	4.4	4.3	-0.1	3.7	3.7	0.0	3.6	3.5	-0.1	8.8	7.8	-1.0	5.9	4.7	-1.2	3.8	3.5	-0.3	4.0	3.8	-0.2	3.2	4.1	0.9
Oct	4.7	4.9	0.2	4.3	4.2	-0.1	3.7	3.8	0.1	3.6	3.6	0.0	7.9	6.8	-1.1	5.6	4.5	-1.1	3.8	3.6	-0.2	4.2	3.8	-0.4	3.0	4.1	1.1
Nov	4.6	4.7	0.1	4.3	4.2	-0.1	3.7	3.8	0.1	3.7	3.6	-0.1	7.5	6.7	-0.8	5.3	4.1	-1.2	3.8	3.6	-0.2	4.2	3.7	-0.5	3.0	4.2	1.2
Dec	4.6	4.7	0.1	4.3	4.1	-0.2	3.7	3.9	0.2	3.7	3.6	-0.1	7.4	6.7	-0.7	5.1	3.9	-1.2	3.7	3.5	-0.2	4.2	3.7	-0.5	3.0	4.1	1.1

The nonfarm employment estimate, derived from a survey of businesses, is a measure of jobs in the state; the unemployment rate and labor force estimates are based on a household survey, and measure the work status of people who live in Connecticut. Overall, as the national and state economies recover, volatility in monthly numbers can be expected. Job and employment estimates are best understood in the context of their movement over several months rather than observed changes in a single month's value.

Labor Force / Residents Employed / Residents Unemployed

Average weekly initial unemployment claims (not seasonally adjusted) for first-time filers (AWIC) in Connecticut for December 2024 were 5,495. This is 2,874 (109.7%) claims higher than November 2024 (2,621) and higher by 281 claims (5.4%) than the December 2023 (5,214) level

Month	2019			2020			2021			2022			2023			2024			2025
Month	Labor Force	Resident Emp.	Resident Unemp.	Labor Force	Resident Emp.	Resident Unemp.	Labor Force	Resident Emp.	Resident Unemp.	Labor Force	Resident Emp.	Resident Unemp.	Labor Force	Resident Emp.	Resident Unemp.	Labor Force	Resident Emp.	Resident Unemp.	Labor Force	Resident Emp.	Resident Unemp.
Jan	1,927.3	1,856.5	70.8	1,936.8	1,863.4	73.4	1,805.1	1,676.0	129.0	1,942.9	1,848.6	94.4	1,886.3	1,818.6	67.7	1,902.4	1,819.5	82.9
Feb	1,926.6	1,856.8	69.8	1,931.1	1,856.8	74.3	1,801.7	1,673.9	127.8	1,938.6	1,849.5	89.2	1,886.4	1,820.5	65.8	1,906.4	1,820.3	86.1
Mar	1,925.8	1,857.2	68.6	1,924.5	1,849.6	74.9	1,800.0	1,673.3	126.8	1,933.8	1,849.1	84.7	1,887.1	1,822.9	64.2	1,910.5	1,825.0	85.4
Apr	1,925.7	1,858.0	67.7	1,828.7	1,676.7	151.9	1,801.0	1,673.6	127.4	1,929.3	1,847.1	82.3	1,888.3	1,825.0	63.2	1,911.1	1,827.6	83.4
May	1,926.7	1,859.5	67.2	1,901.8	1,676.9	224.9	1,798.9	1,674.8	124.1	1,923.0	1,843.2	79.8	1,889.8	1,826.6	63.2	1,914.5	1,832.7	81.8
Jun	1,928.9	1,861.6	67.3	1,893.1	1,675.9	217.3	1,821.1	1,696.8	124.3	1,914.8	1,837.8	77.1	1,892.0	1,827.5	64.5	1,913.4	1,838.8	74.6
Jul	1,931.7	1,863.6	68.1	1,901.5	1,679.8	221.6	1,837.5	1,717.7	119.9	1,905.6	1,831.3	74.3	1,894.5	1,827.1	67.4	1,907.8	1,838.5	69.3
Aug	1,934.6	1,865.5	69.1	1,859.8	1,681.9	178.0	1,854.9	1,739.0	115.9	1,896.6	1,825.4	71.2	1,896.8	1,825.1	71.6	1,902.5	1,837.0	65.5
Sep	1,937.4	1,867.5	69.9	1,848.0	1,685.1	162.9	1,870.3	1,759.9	110.4	1,892.9	1,820.9	71.9	1,898.6	1,822.5	76.1	1,900.5	1,839.1	61.4
Oct	1,939.7	1,869.0	70.6	1,828.0	1,684.2	143.8	1,888.5	1,782.0	106.5	1,890.1	1,818.1	71.9	1,899.6	1,820.1	79.6	1,901.4	1,843.7	57.7
Nov	1,941.0	1,869.5	71.5	1,819.1	1,682.3	136.8	1,905.5	1,804.1	101.4	1,888.1	1,817.0	71.1	1,899.5	1,819.2	80.3	1,903.0	1,846.1	56.9
Dec	1,940.2	1,867.8	72.5	1,813.4	1,679.3	134.1	1,924.3	1,826.4	97.9	1,886.9	1,817.3	69.6	1,899.1	1,819.3	79.9	1,912.1	1,854.8	57.4


	The nonfarm employment estimate, derived from a survey of businesses, is a measure of jobs in the state; the unemployment rate and labor force estimates are based on a household survey, and measure the work status of people who live in Connecticut. Overall, as the national and state economies recover, volatility in monthly numbers can be expected. Job and employment estimates are best understood in the context of their movement over several months rather than observed changes in a single month's value.

Next Connecticut Labor Situation release: Monday, March 14, 2025 (January 2025, preliminary data)

State of Connecticut Department of Labor - Office of Research, 200 Folly Brook Boulevard, Wethersfield, CT 06109