September 20, 2012

GOV. MALLOY STATEMENT ON AUGUST JOBS REPORT

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy issued the following statement regarding today's release of the Connecticut Department of Labor's monthly "Labor Situation" report for August 2012.

"As I said last month, I'm skeptical about these numbers. We haven't seen an increase in the initial number of people filing for unemployment benefits - in July, average weekly filings were 4,802 and in August they were 4,779. In fact, claims are down from this time last year. And tax withholdings are up 3.6 percent after adjustment.

"Those two trends are the opposite of what you would expect to see if the state was losing jobs at the rate suggested in this report. However, I am well aware that we continue to battle strong headwinds at the national and international levels. We've also recently learned that the recession was far worse than we thought and had a far deeper impact than we understood at the time. And I've said time and again that we're not going to reverse 22 years of job stagnation in 20 months.

"With that said, it's important to remember that there are signs that we're making progress. The First Five program alone will create or retain more than 15,000 jobs and encourage 1.3 billion in private investment in our state. The state's finances are in far better shape than they were 20 months ago. And we're working everyday to keep that momentum going.

"While we're making progress, it's also clear we have a long way to go. But I believe in Connecticut, I believe in its people, and I know we will get there."

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For Immediate Release: September 20, 2012

Contact: Andrew Doba

Andrew.Doba@ct.gov

860-524-7308 (office)
860-770-8090 (cell)

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy