Southington Unemployment at 7.5 Percent, State at 9 Percent

The August unemployment figures released by the Connecticut Department of Labor shows a zero percentage change in Southington unemployement over the past three months.

Southington saw its umployement rate max out at 8.5 percent in February and saw slight declines in March through May before it leveled out at 7.5 percent in June, according to state Department of Labor statistics.

More on the unemployment figures can be found on their website.

"We'e been forunate in Southington to be well positioned within the state and to have a growth in the number of opportunities here," said Economic Development Coordinator Louis Perillo III.

"We've seen companies like , Shop-Rite and come to town in recent months, and many small manufacturing companies and even larger ones like Yarde Metals are companies well run and prepared to handle tough times," Perillo said.

The town will soon be handling the loss of the Hartford Insurance Group, however, as the company prepares to close its Southington branch.

Although the move does not include layoffs, Perillo said it's too early to tell what will happen with the jobs being taken from the local community and whether all employees would be able to travel to keep their positions.

The Department of Labor reported the following 2011 trend in Southington:

Labor Force

Southington isn't alone in the economic growth front either.

The rest of the nation saw a slight improvement in the unemployment figures as well. Connecticut dipped 0.1 percent to a 9.1 percent enmployment rate. The United States did the same with a 9.2 percent rate.

Employement recovery may be small, but it's a step in right direction, Perillo said.