Conn. jobs recovery sputters with decline in March

WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's employment recovery came to an abrupt halt in March with a decline of 2,700 jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent.

The state Department of Labor said Thursday that because of the unusually warm winter, jobs in industries such as construction that depend on the weather grew more quickly than usual. As a result, normal springtime increases were smaller than typical.

• Read the report here.

"While I'm certainly pleased that our unemployment rate continues to decline, we still have a long way to go in this growing recovery. The fact remains that if you don't have a job, the unemployment rate is basically 100%," said Gov. Dannel Malloy in a statement. "State government is working to help improve this situation. From the Small Business Express Program to the innovative incentives designed to spur new hiring, the policies we've enacted are beginning to pay dividends. But we have a lot more work to do."

State labor economists say when statistics are adjusted for seasonal changes, some industries now show employment declines.

The halt in job creation in March followed an increase of 4,900 jobs in February and more than 7,000 in January.

The unemployment rate fell from 7.8 percent in February, the lowest in three years.

Nationally, the unemployment rate in March was 8.2 percent as employment growth slowed.