Conn. unemployment rate increases

Wethersfield (AP) - Labor officials say Connecticut's unemployment rate increased to 8.1 percent in August as the state lost 3,700 jobs, mostly in the hospitality, government and financial activities sectors.

The August rate is three-tenths of a percentage point higher than July's rate, but is still lower than last month's national rate of 9.7 percent.

The state Department of Labor says an estimated 152,100 Connecticut residents were out of work last month, 5,400 more than in July.

State Labor Statistics Supervisor Salvatore DiPillo says the new numbers do show some good signs.

He says state job losses have slowed down in the past few months. He says construction and manufacturing employment were nearly unchanged in August after several consecutive months of heavy losses.