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DOL Report: State Employment Down
Even as wages grow, confidence sags
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Business New Haven
8/19/2002
By: BNH
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Employment in Connecticut covered by unemployment insurance (UI) decreased by 9,030 during 2001, a decline of 0.5 percent, according to preliminary data from the state's Department of Labor (DOL).
Following eight straight years of expansion, the decrease marked the first decline in annual average employment since the 1991-92 reporting period.
Total private industry employment, comprising 85.9 percent of the state's total employment, declined by 2.1 percent, while government employment grew 9.9 percent in 2001. (Part of the decline in private employment and increase in government employment is attributable to a change in the classification of Indian tribal councils and related establishments. Beginning with the first quarter of 2001, federally recognized Indian tribes and related establishments are now classified as local government.
The average annual wage of all Connecticut workers increased by 3.3 percent to $46,990 in 2001. The annual pay of private industry workers grew 3.6 percent in 2001 to $47,737, while pay for government sector employees was $42,447, a 2.2-percent hike.
The number of business establishments in Connecticut remained virtually unchanged in 2001 from the year before. Total business establishments totaled 108,132 at the end of 2001, compared with 108,114 at the end of 2000. Total private establishments numbered 104,447 in 2001 versus 104,441 in 2000. Government work sites numbered 3,685 for 2001, while totaling 3,673 at the end of 2000.
In a related development, consumer confidence in Connecticut plunged between April and July of this year, according to the Webster Consumer Confidence Index conducted by the Center for Economic Analysis at the University of Connecticut.
The overall confidence level in the state fell 16.3 percent, compared with drops of 11 percent for both New England and the nation.
According to the survey, the percentage of residents expecting jobs to be more plentiful six months from now declined from 33 percent in April to 21 percent in July. Meanwhile the number predicting there would be fewer jobs rose from 19 to 23 percent, according to the survey.
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