Connecticut gained 20,400 net payroll jobs in August, up 1.3 percent.  This was the third month in a row that job gains topped 20,000.  The largest August job gains were in Health Care & Social Assistance, Leisure & Hospitality, and Trade & Transportation. Federal Government also gained due to the decennial Census. 

All six Labor Market Areas experienced employment increases in August, according to the state Department of Labor.  The Danbury area gained 1,600 positions. 

The August unemployment rate for Connecticut is 8.1 percent, down 2.1 percentage points from the revised July level of 10.2 percent. The U.S. jobless rate in August was 8.4 percent, down 1.8 percentage points from July’s rate of 10.2 percent. 

The state Department of Labor says Connecticut's unemployment rate continues to be underestimated due to challenges encountered in the collection of data. Questions continue to be misinterpreted and misclassified. A significant number of respondents who should have been classified as temporarily out of work and therefore unemployed were instead classified as employed, but away from work.