Connecticut employers added 4,700 jobs in September, posting the ninth consecutive monthly gain as the labor force recovers from the pandemic, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The unemployment rate fell 0.4%, to 6.8%, still substantially higher than the U.S. rate of 4.8%.

Interim Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo credited Connecticut’s strong vaccination rate for helping restore business activity. Weekly filings for unemployment compensation that topped 400,000 during the worst of the pandemic are 52,000 now, she said. Read More

Alders unanimously advanced a proposed new city-state accord that would provide a 55-year roadmap for the operation and redevelopment of Union Station.

That was the outcome of Thursday night’s Board of Alders Finance Committee meeting, which took place online via Zoom and YouTube Live.

The committee alders unanimously endorsed a three-part proposed order related to the century-old transit hub. The order now advances to the full Board of Alders for further discussion and a final vote. Read More

Governor Ned Lamont announced that his administration is launching two new competitive grant programs that will create jobs, strengthen the livability and vibrancy of Connecticut towns and cities, and promote new public-private partnerships to accelerate economic growth.

The Innovation Corridor program and the Connecticut Communities Challenge program, both of which will be administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, will spur place-based development in municipalities with up to $200 million in funding over five years. The grants are a vital component of Governor Lamont’s Economic Action Plan – a strategic package of initiatives that totals more than $750 million over five years, matched approximately dollar-for-dollar by private and other non-state funding that will result in a projected 80,000 new jobs. Read More