Slow recovery

State employers added 20,400 jobs during August, despite pandemic.

Connecticut employers added 20,400 jobs in August, with health care and hotels showing the most gains in the slowly recovering labor force, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.

Economists also revised upward July’s employment gains, to 32,300, an increase of 5,800 jobs from the initial count.

Although the official estimate for unemployment is 8.1% for August, state officials cautioned that his number is likely inaccurate because of problems collecting data. A more accurate figure is closer to 15%, they said. The U.S. jobless rate was 8.4%.

Patrick Flaherty, acting research director at the Department of Labor, said the pace of employment growth, which is now more than 20,000 jobs in three consecutive months, has slowed since June when employers added 77,300 jobs.

The biggest gains last month were in health care and social assistance and leisure and hospitality, two sectors that were hit hard by COVID-19. Trade and transportation also was among the strong sectors and federal jobs gained due to hiring for the Census.

However, manufacturing jobs — prized for their skills and the training required and high pay — declined by 1,500 in August, a drop of 1%.

All six labor market areas posted employment increases in August. The Hartford labor market area added 9,500 jobs, New Haven posted 6,200 new jobs, the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk labor market area added 5,100 and Waterbury picked up 2,200 jobs. The Danbury labor market gained 1,600 and the Norwich–New London-Westerly, R.I., labor market, home to the two tribal casinos that have laid off workers, increased by 1,200 positions.

Since February, immediately before the sweep of the pandemic began in Connecticut, the state has lost about 133,000 jobs, a drop of 7.8%.