(Wethersfield, CT) – Today, Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo released the April jobs report showing that employers added an estimated 6,900 jobs last month. The state’s unemployment rate remains very low at 3.7% after rising 0.1%. Private sector employment reached a new all-time high of 1,483,600. Total employment remains below March 2008 due to smaller federal, state, and local government.
Commissioner Bartolomeo said, “After a period of unsustainably low unemployment rates and 100,000+ job openings, April’s data signals we are moving into a market that’s better balanced for employers. More workers in the labor force will help recruiters hire and businesses expand; it may take job seekers a little longer to find a job, but employers have more than 70,000 opportunities out there. The economy remains in good shape even as CTDOL continues to monitor any impacts from tariffs and inflation.”
March survey timing was notable as it occurred when private colleges and universities were on spring break and had lower student worker payrolls. Those payroll numbers recovered, and April reversed the job losses from both February and March. Additionally, the state’s labor force increased by 3,800 people and is up 4,600 in 2025 thus far. Connecticut’s labor force participation rate rose to 65.0% compared to 62.6% nationally.
CTDOL Director of Research Patrick Flaherty said, “This report is what we expect to see coming out of the pandemic and a time of very low unemployment. Employers are adding jobs—some months will be strong growth months and others will be weaker, but this is a sustainable pattern. April was a strong job growth month, we added workers, and unemployment benefit filers remain quite low, below 25,000.”
TOPLINE POINTS FROM THE REPORT:
- Professional and Business Services, a sector that includes landscapers, was down in March, likely due to a cold spring. It rebounded in April. Additionally, Private Education and Health Services was up by 1,800 jobs and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities rose by 1,700 jobs.
- The Finance and Insurance sector has posted a good 2025 thus far despite losing an estimated 400 jobs in April. Information and Manufacturing also posted slight job losses.
- The federal government is down 300 jobs, 100 of these were postal workers.
- Connecticut’s unemployment rate is 0.5% below the national rate.
#DOLDaily video with CTDOL Director of Research Patrick Flaherty: Major Takeaways from the April Report
May data will be released June 23, 2025.
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For Immediate Release: May 20, 2025