Connecticut Labor Day Facts

Labor Day is a holiday borne out of labor strikes by Illinois railroad manufacturers in the 1890s. While the United States is the largest manufacturing country in the world (for now), Connecticut’s work force in this industry has shriveled by 45 percent since 1990, according to the Connecticut Labor Department.

This day off is intended for employees of all industries, so here are facts and figures pertaining to Connecticut’s work force.

• There are three companies (not counting the state government) in the state with more than 10,000 employees locally: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in Stratford, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard and Yeom Internal Medicine in New Haven.
• According to the Tax Foundation, a Washington D.C., think-tank, Connecticut’s taxes are among the worst for businesses in the nation. Only California, New York and New Jersey fared worse. http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/22661.html
• Despite the tax foundation’s negative outlook, it isn’t all bad for businesses. General Electric, which is based in Fairfield, didn’t pay any federal taxes in 2010 on its $14.2 billion in profits. The company’s tax department reportedly hires nearly 1,000 people, including many former high-ranking members of the Internal Revenue Service. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html?_r=3
• While manufacturing saw a massive decline in Connecticut in the past two decades, the number of state employees rose 14.2 percent. The best industry for growth has been the health services and education sector with a 62 percent increase. According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, “this sector added jobs even during the recession and continues to add jobs.”
• The average weekly salary for someone in Connecticut’s private sector is $942 (before taxes) as of June 2011. That’s a $29 increase from last year.
• The average workweek in the state’s private sector is 33 hours. The average manufacturing-industry employee works 39.7 hours.
• For two months in 2000, Connecticut had the lowest unemployment rate in two decades with 2.1 percent. In 2010, the highest rate was 9.2 percent. As of July, unemployment was 9.1 percent.
• There are 92,587 “nonfarm establishments” in the state, according to the 2010 Census. Essentially, a nonfarm establishment is a business that employs at least one person.