Conn. unemployment rate
rises

New Haven (WTNH) - The unemployment rate is rising in Connecticut and the rest of New England.

The state Labor Department reports 3,600 jobs were lost in October, bringing the unemployment rate to 6.5 percent. Connecticut's rate now matches the national unemployment figure.

The Waterbury area is taking the biggest hit with the state's highest unemployment rate at 7.9 percent.

Labor economists say the state will probably keep losing jobs into at least the first half of next year. Unemployment in the region is expected to rise to its highest level since 1992.

The state hit hardest in the region is Rhode Island, where the unemployment rate hit 9.3 percent in October.