Connecticut added 3,500 jobs last month, but unemployment remained at 5.7 percent, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.
The jobless rate is slightly better than the 5.8 percent mark achieved in April 2015. The state has added 20,100 jobs over the past 12 months and 9,800 positions since Jan. 1.
Still, Connecticut is about 23,500 jobs shy of recovering all positions lost in the last recession, which ended more than six years ago.
“Connecticut saw increases in both job counts and labor force participation in April,” said Andy Condon, Director of the Office of Research at the labor department. “As new workers entered or reentered the labor force, the number of unemployed also grew. This explains recent upward pressure on our unemployment rate.”
“The data indicates that we’re maintaining a steady pace of recovery as we put our state on a path for success and growth, and is indicative of our need to do what we can to stabilize our state’s finances and help bring confidence to employers,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said. “We have more to do, and we will continue in our efforts to create good paying jobs with good benefits for middle class families in Connecticut.”
Nine of the 10 industry supersectors gained jobs in April paced by construction and mining, which added 2,400 positions. Gains also were recorded in: professional and business services; education and health services; financial activities; trade, transportation and utilities; information; other services, manufacturing; and government.
The leisure and hospitality supersector was the only one to lose jobs in April, down 3,000 positions.
Two of the four labor market areas added positions in April. The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford market added 2,500 jobs and the New Haven market was up 100.
The Norwich-New London-Westerly market dropped 500 jobs last month while Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk was down 200.
Average hourly earnings in April stood at $30.48, up $1.75 or 6.1 percent from April 2015.
The state now has recovered 95,600 of the 119,100 jobs lost during the last recession.
