CT labor department issues economic update amid federal shutdown

Hartford Business Journal – Monday, October 20, 2025
By Greg Bordonaro

The Connecticut Department of Labor on Monday released an economic update in place of its usual monthly labor report, which remains delayed because of the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said the state continues to show steady employment activity, with about 80,000 jobs currently open across Connecticut.

Patrick Flaherty, the agency’s director of research, said the department cannot release September employment figures — such as the unemployment rate, job counts or labor force participation — because those rely on federal data. However, state-level unemployment claims remain steady and within normal seasonal ranges.

Connecticut currently has about 26,000 people filing weekly unemployment claims, he said.

Federal unemployment claims are also stable, with about 450 claims filed since January, the DOL said.

Connecticut employs roughly 19,000 federal workers, most serving in veterans’ services and the U.S. Postal Service.

Help Wanted Online data shows about 80,000 open positions statewide, with the greatest demand in healthcare, social assistance and retail sectors.

Bartolomeo said the federal shutdown is limiting the agency’s ability to provide full, data-driven labor analysis and she urged national lawmakers to reach a resolution soon.

Last month, the state DOL reported that Connecticut employers added 900 jobs in August, pushing private sector employment to a new record high of 1.48 million positions.

The job gains cam as Connecticut’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.8%, well below the national rate of 4.3%. However, the state’s labor force declined for the third consecutive month, dropping by 4,100 people in August.

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