Unemployment rate down in 2016: At 2.8 percent, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is down 2.1 percent over the year from 4.9 percent in December 2015.
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That’s up from a rate of 3 percent a year ago. The state’s jobless rate hasn’t been that low since early 2007 when it hovered at 4.3 percent for five months in a row.
Both the local and state unemployment rates remained well below the national rate of 4.7 percent for December. In 2016, education and health services led the way by adding 23,500 payroll positions, a 2 percent job growth. Only one major industry had a substantial job loss, as transportation, warehousing and utilities cut 500 jobs. The rate was still slightly lower than the 6.3 percent jobless rate it had in December past year.
Cullman County came in at 4.9 percent, up slightly from November’s 4.6 percent.
Professional, Scientific and Business Services gained 1,200 (+0.2%) jobs during the month.
Oregon’s average unemployment rate has fallen to match a previous low record set in the economic boom of the mid-1990s.
Unemployment in Nebraska remains the same at 3.4%.
New Mexico’s unemployment is down.
That means CT has recovered 83,800, or 70.4 percent, of the jobs lost in the 2008 recession, which Gioia noted dramatically lags behind MA, which has actually added 313 percent of the jobs it lost.
“The financial activities sector had the largest month-to-month percent growth among the sectors at 1.7 percent”, said Akers.
New Mexico’s private sector was up 3,600 jobs, or 0.6 percent. In the Seattle area, the labor force grew by 1,000. Jobs in manufacturing decreased 2,000.
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Since December 2015, the report showed, the state’s labor force has netted 73,000 more people.
