(Wethersfield, CT) – Today, Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo released the March jobs report. The state’s unemployment rate remains very low; it rose 0.2% in March to 3.6%. Payroll employment dropped an estimated 4,500 jobs; February was revised from 1,200 jobs lost to 1,700 jobs lost. Survey timing is notable as it occurred when private colleges and universities were on spring break—those payroll numbers may recover somewhat in April.
Commissioner Bartolomeo said, “March is a complicated jobs report. Even as Connecticut prepares for the consequences of federal changes, it’s important to note that March numbers were impacted by typical things such as survey timing and cold weather. We’ll need to review April’s data to identify any weaknesses in the market. While we remain cautious about 2025, Connecticut’s unemployment rate and the number of unemployment filers remains solidly low, and employers have around 80,000 jobs open.”
Overall, Connecticut’s private sector job numbers remain just off the January 2025 all-time high and 10,000 above pre-pandemic private sector highs. March showed a small number of job losses occurring across a broad swath of industries. These are generally within normal range and were likely impacts of survey timing and cold weather effects on landscaping and construction. There were an unusually high number of jobs lost in private universities and colleges; April numbers will help identify if those losses are due to the lower payrolls normally experienced over spring break or if federal funding cuts are impacting payrolls.
CTDOL Director of Research Patrick Flaherty said, “The overall economy remains stable. It’s too early to know if this report is reflecting normal ups and downs in the labor market or if we are seeing signs of stress. After several years of strong growth and unsustainably low unemployment, I would characterize March with a yellow flag—not urgent, but we should continue to closely watch what’s happening.”
TOPLINE POINTS FROM THE REPORT:
- Connecticut’s unemployment rate is 0.6% below the national rate.
- Seasonally adjusted, the federal government gained 200 jobs in March. In the year between March 2024 to March 2025, the federal government lost 300 jobs: 200 in the Postal Service and 100 in other areas. This change is in line with typical volume.
- The decline in Professional and Business Services, which includes temporary workers, may be related to workers leaving temp work for full time employment.
- Seasonally adjusted numbers show a decline in construction; however, not seasonally adjusted numbers indicate an increase from February to March.
- The Connecticut labor force is down slightly but remains higher than any time before January 2025.
- Connecticut’s labor force participation rate is 64.9%; the national rate is 62.5%.
- Connecticut has about 30,000 unemployment filers, just under 200 of those are federal workers.
#DOLDaily video with CTDOL Director of Research Patrick Flaherty: Major Takeaways from the March Report.
*This video was posted 4/21 due to technical delays.
The April data will be released on May 20, 2025.
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For Immediate Release: April 17, 2025