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Darien's Unemployment Rate Dips Slightly, Shows Signs Of Growth

DARIEN, Conn. – Darien continues to add jobs, but the town’s unemployment rate has stagnated because of a growing labor force, according to data released by the Connecticut Department of Labor last week.

Darien's unemployment rate dropped by a tenth of a percent for the second straight month in July.

Darien's unemployment rate dropped by a tenth of a percent for the second straight month in July.

Photo Credit: Flickr user Photologue_np

Darien’s unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in July, a drop of a tenth of a percent for the second straight month. The rate is the same as it was at the beginning of the year, having dropped from its 2013 peak of 5.8 percent in May.

There has been little change in Darien’s statistics since the beginning of the year. The number of both unemployed and employed people in the town has grown by the same rate since January—5.15 percent.

An estimated 8,970 Darien residents had jobs at the end of July, an increase of about 440 since January according to Labor Department statistics. A total of 531 people were looking for work in the town in July, an increase of 26 over the last six months.

The numbers show a large drop in unemployment compared to the same point last year. Darien’s unemployment rate was 7.2 percent in July 2012, or 1.4 percentage points higher than in 2013. Darien’s total labor force has decreased slightly over the last year, going from 9,589 in July 2012 to 9,501 last month. But more Darien residents have jobs this summer compared to last, by a margin of 21.

Overall, Connecticut’s unemployment rate in July was 8.3 percent, with an estimated 158,000 unemployed across the state. The rate had not changed more than a percentage point for any month this year, and is just a half a percent lower than it was in July 2012. The state’s rate is also higher than the national rate of 7.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Connecticut added nearly 11,500 jobs despite the little change in unemployment rate said Andy Condon, Director of the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Office of Research. In total the state has seen 23,100 more non-farm jobs in the past year, with just as many people rejoining the labor force.

“Excluding May 2010, when jobs were boosted by temporary census employment, this month’s non-farm job gain is the best so far during this recovery which began in February 2010,” Condon said. “Improvements were seen across most of Connecticut’s industry sectors.”

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