Labor Market Information - Connecticut, Employment Sectors & United States Nonfarm Employment

State of Connecticut, Employment Sectors & United States Nonfarm Employment

Last Updated: April 17, 2014

Initial nonfarm employment estimates for March reveal a strong 4,900 job gain (0.3%) which is helping Connecticut return to the moderate nonfarm employment growth trend that was apparent at the start of the year. Since March 2013, the state has added 9,400 jobs (0.6%) for a total nonfarm employment level of 1,658,900. March’s monthly employment level has ascended through its’ three-month moving average, used to address short-term volatility, confirming that employment growth is returning after the extreme colder than normal winter weather.

The base private-sector (4,100, 0.3%) also strengthened in the state in March and has added more jobs over-the-year (13,500, 1.0%) than total nonfarm employment. Government supersectors (800, 0.3%) added employment this March as well but has remained a constraint on overall employment gains over-the-year (-4,100, -1.7%) and especially since the overall jobs recovery began. An additional 11,500 government supersector jobs have been lost since the recovery started in February 2010 (tribal casino employment on reservations is classified in local government and accounts for some of the weakness).

Labor Market Information - Connecticut, Employment Sectors & United States Nonfarm Employment

		Year to Year				Month to Month				Previous Three Months
		Mar 2014	Mar 2013	Change	Rate %	Mar 2014	Feb 2014	Change	Rate %	Jan 2014	Dec 2013	Nov 2013
Graph	Follow link below for more charts & data	State of Connecticut Employment
	Connecticut Nonfarm Employment	1,658,900	1,649,500	9,400	0.6%	1,658,900	1,654,000	4,900	0.3%	1,652,600	1,663,500	1,661,400
Graph	Follow link below for more charts & data	Goods Producing Industries
	Construction	56,000	53,200	2,800	5.3%	56,000	56,700	-700	-1.2%	55,400	55,400	55,200

	Manufacturing	162,100	164,400	-2,300	-1.4%	162,100	161,700	400	0.2%	163,800	162,300	162,300
Graph	Follow link below for more charts & data	Service Providing Industries
	Transportation and Public Utilities	300,400	297,300	3,100	1.0%	300,400	298,400	2,000	0.7%	298,400	301,900	302,400

	Information	31,600	32,100	-500	-1.6%	31,600	31,500	100	0.3%	31,400	31,300	31,500

	Financial Activities	130,700	131,500	-800	-0.6%	130,700	130,000	700	0.5%	130,800	132,300	132,100

	Professional and Business Services	203,900	203,300	600	0.3%	203,900	204,800	-900	-0.4%	202,900	205,500	205,600

	Educational and Health Services	325,600	320,200	5,400	1.7%	325,600	325,600	0	0.0%	325,000	326,300	325,900

	Leisure and Hospitality	151,800	146,300	5,500	3.8%	151,800	149,500	2,300	1.5%	148,000	150,600	149,400

	Other Services	62,200	62,500	-300	-0.5%	62,200	62,000	200	0.3%	61,300	61,700	61,400

	Government	234,000	238,100	-4,100	-1.7%	234,000	233,200	800	0.3%	235,100	235,600	235,000
Graph	Follow link below for more charts & data	United States Employment
	United States Nonfarm Employment	137,928,000	135,682,000	2,246,000	1.7%	137,928,000	137,736,000	192,000	0.1%	137,524,000	137,395,000	137,311,000

Seven industry supersectors gained jobs in March, while two supersectors were lower, and education and health services was unchanged. The seven growing supersectors in March were led by the leisure and hospitality (2,300, 1.5%) supersector. There was very strong job growth from the restaurants and hotels component (2,200, 1.8%). Trade, transportation, and utilities (2,000, 0.7%) also rebounded, with retail trade (1,700, 0.9%) providing much of the increase. Again, the government supersector (800, 0.3%) added positions in March, led higher by state government (700, 1.1%). Financial activities (700, 0.5%) posted an increase with both finance and insurance (600, 0.5%) and real estate (100, 0.5%) contributing to the gain. Manufacturing entities were higher this month (400, 0.2%) as durables (200, 0.2%) and non-durables (200, 0.5%) production sectors both contributed. Smaller job gains came from the other services (200, 0.3%) and the information (100, 0.3%) supersectors.

The two job losing supersectors were professional and business services (-900, -0.4%) and the combined construction and mining (-700, -1.2%) supersector. Construction and mining had held up pretty well in the January-February freeze, but was lower this month.