Conn. jobless rate falls to 8.1 percent

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The Connecticut unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent in January, the Department of Labor said Friday.

The department says the state added 4,700 jobs in January in sign of considerable improvement to the state's labor market.

The agency's research director, Andy Condon, said the data shows the state's job market is continuing on a modest but positive recovery path established in 2011.

"Job gains in January, along with a continuing decline in Connecticut's unemployment rate, are good news," he said.

The jobless rate had been reported at 8.6 percent for December, but officials say revisions to earlier estimates show that Connecticut is closer to the national pace of job recovery than was previously reported.

The national jobless rate is currently 7.9 percent.

The new jobs helped Connecticut reach a high point in its recovery from the recession for the number of nonfarm jobs. Authorities say the gains were led by professional and business services and the leisure and hospitality industry.