Wait for sustained job growth continues

As the state debates transit, the urgency behind the issue continues to grow. A better transportation system is necessary, all sides agree, to get Connecticut out of its economic doldrums. And the latest job numbers show the state’s economic worries are far from over.

Connecticut lost 1,500 jobs last month compared to September, according to the state Department of Labor, as the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.6 percent. This followed job growth in each of the previous three months, an indication that the local economy might be in for a longawaited growth spurt. But good economic news in Connecticut never seems to last long.

There were some positive signs in the latest report, with manufacturing showing some gains and four of the state’s six labor market areas reporting employment increases. September’s numbers were revised upward, showing 1,000 more jobs than previously reported. But the October gains were relatively small and outweighed by losses elsewhere. Even defenders of the state’s economic record were having a hard time picking out a positive spin.

At the same time, a new report showed that Connecticut by one measure had its strongest economy in 2018 in nearly a decade. But even that positive news was tempered by the fact that Connecticut trailed every other state in New England and finished in the bottom half of states nationally.

That report, too, had good news and bad. The state ranked 19th among states in growth rate of business establishments, but 49th in job growth. The state’s unemployment rate was close to the national average, but in terms of wage growth, it was the secondworst in the country.

This is the backdrop for Gov. Ned Lamont’s continued push for an improved system of roads and rails. Without a more reliable means of getting from place to place, the state has no chance to improve its economic showing. But no one in state government has yet figured out an acceptable way to pay for the improvements that all sides seem to agree are necessary.

And Lamont has dramatically scaled back borrowing, which can help boost the local economy and create jobs, as he seeks a transit agreement. It’s one of his few points of leverage, but the state is paying a price for his Debt Diet in lost economic growth. Something has to give. There are good reasons to be more careful about bonding, but no one should assume there aren’t consequences, as well. State legislators are loath to vote for a funding method for transit that could cost them politically, but they need to understand that a better system won’t come free. And Lamont needs to ensure none of his actions are making the alreadymiddling Connecticut economy worse than it already is.

Connecticut has been waiting since the end of the Great Recession for strong, sustained job growth. Even in a bestcase scenario, a transit plan would take years to spur the kind of job increases the state needs to see. Connecticut needs help now, and leaders need to make job growth a renewed focus.

The state’s unemployment rate was close to the national average, but in terms of wage growth, it was the secondworst in the country.