The number of jobs available in Connecticut rose by 3.2 percent in 2022 according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program.
According to the August edition of The Connecticut Economic Digest, a joint publication of the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the state has now recovered nearly all jobs lost since March 2020, when government officials shut down the economy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Job gains come from a “combination of employment returning from pandemic losses and a strong job market,” according to the Digest.
Private industry gains in employment made up the majority of gains, growing by 3.4 percent during 2022. Private industry employment accounts for 86.9 percent of Connecticut’s total employment. Government employment increased by 1.6 percent during the same period.
Average annual wages for all jobs in the state also increased in 2022, rising 4.4 percent to $81,241. Private sector wages grew faster than government wages. The average private sector wage rose 4.5 percent to $82,373 and the average government wage increased 3.2 percent to $73,754.
Employment grew the most in the accommodation and food services sector, which gained 10,958 jobs in 2022, triple the next fastest growing sector. The professional and technical services, healthcare and social assistance, manufacturing, administrative and waste management, transportation and warehousing, and government sectors all gained roughly 3,500 jobs over the course of the year.
Despite the increase in the accommodation and food services sector, which grew by 9.9 percent over the previous year, it has still not regained all jobs lost since 2020.
The average wage in the sector was $28,491 in 2022, up from $26,679 the previous year.
Construction had the lowest growth, gaining 1,596 jobs. The finance and insurance sector and utilities were the only industries to lose jobs in 2022, down 371 jobs.
Increases in government employment were mostly due to gains in local government and were a result of jobs in education, a trend continuing from 2021. A 7.9 percent increase in employment at casinos and an 11.9 percent increase in the amusement and recreation subsectors also drove the increase.
Additionally, new business creation continued to grow in 2022, after rising in 2021 post-pandemic. The state gained 16,459 new businesses in 2022 after gaining 16,978 in 2021.
The number of establishments rose to 142,858 an increase of 6.7 percent from 2021. Private businesses accounted for most of the increase. Government worksites increased 1.5 percent in 2022, rising from 3,374 in 2021 to 3,424 in 2022.
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