Keith Griffin
The education and health-services sector, which was the only industry to add jobs during the recession, now accounts for almost 1 in 5 Connecticut jobs, according to the April issue of The Connecticut Economic Digest.
While the trade, transportation, and utilities sector is no longer No. 1, it's the goods-producing sector that saw the largest drop in employment since 2008. Jobs in that sector accounted for 13 percent of the Connecticut labor force in 2015, down from 14.9 percent in 2008.
The report also showed Connecticut has regained 76.7 percent of the jobs it lost in the recession. The state is on par with Maine (79.5 percent) and Rhode Island (87.9 percent), but still has a way to go to reach the levels of New York (259.1 percent) and Massachusetts (245.6 percent).
Another issue with the state's changing labor force is that higher-paying jobs are being replaced by lower-paying jobs. A recent report published by the Commission on Economic Competitiveness said the educational services, accommodation and food services, and healthcare and social-assistance sectors added the most jobs from 2002 to 2014 but paid an average wage of $54,018. The higher paying manufacturing, information, and construction sectors lost the most jobs with their much higher average wage of $75,246. The state's average wage, according to the report, is $65,000 as of Dec. 2014.
Yard Goats To Call Norwich Home Until Hartford Stadium Is Ready
HARTFORD — The Hartford Yard Goats are coming home. Sort of.
Hartford's AA baseball team has played its first 29 games on the road and out of state due to construction delays at Dunkin' Donuts Park. But that will end in a week, with an announcement today by the team and the Eastern League that Thomas Dodd Stadium in Norwich will be the site of the Yard Goats' nine "home" games from May 12 to May 26.
"This announcement by the Eastern League, which was expected due to the stadium construction delays, will give the Yard Goats players and coaching staff the opportunity to get home from the 37-day road trip and get settled in Hartford as we prepare for opening day at Dunkin' Donuts Park," Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall said in a release. The team is still hoping to play its first game in Hartford May 31, but that date is uncertain due to ongoing concerns about whether the ballpark will be ready to hand over to the team on May 17. Team officials say they need a minimum of two weeks before opening to familiarize staff with their workplace and test equipment.
Eastern League President Joe McEachern said in an interview that continuing to play home games at their opponents' parks was taking a toll on players and coaches, as well as the other teams. Nonetheless, at 19-6, the team has the best record in the league.
"It's time for them to get themselves in a more stable position," McEachern said. "Our partners were willing to step up but it was becoming a burden." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Malloy loses political fight over transportation fund
HARTFORD — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy lacked the power and political traction to propel the lock box amendment to secure the Special Transportation Fund over the top. The legislature adjourned Wednesday without taking action on the proposed constitutional amendment that Malloy had spent the last year campaigning to get on the statewide ballot for 2016. The Democratic governor was unable to win over the Republican votes necessary to achieve the supermajorities of the House and Senate needed to achieve his goal. There also remained some Democrats unwilling to declare money in the Special Transportation Fund off limits, amplifying Malloy's need for Republican votes.
Malloy and advocates of the lock box amendment had to hit 114 votes in the 151-member House and 27 votes in the 36-member Senate. The best Malloy got was a tepid 22-11 vote of the Transportation Commitee that kept the proposal rolling, but a number of members stated they were only voting to report the measure out of committee. The proposed amendment stalled following the committee vote amid continuing disagreements over its scope and a state budget crisis.
The Malloy administration is not giving up. "The lockbox is the very definition of a structural change — that's why we are such ardent supporters of it," said Devon Puglia, the governor's director of communications. "We know we need to transform our transportation system, and we will get this done. It's critical to our ability to invest in our economy and attract new businesses."
The failure also disappointed and frustrated advocates of the proposed amendment. "The proposal to put the Special Transportation Fund lockbox before November's voters in a constitutional referendum should have been as easy as it gets," said Karen Burnaska, coordinator of the Transit for Connecticut coalition. "Who wouldn't want voters to decide the future of such an important policy proposal for our state?" Actually, most lawmakers support the idea of constitutionally locking up transportation funding. Seven out of 10 legislators did in a vote during a special session in December. The margins, though, were not large enough to get the amendment on the 2016 ballot on that try.
THE PROBLEM FOR MALLOY boiled down to two things: Republican lawmakers consider the proposed amendment too weak, and some Democrats objected to making transportation funding sacrosanct while safety net programs were being cut back.
Republicans did not believe the administration's claims that the lock box amendment assures every penny in the Special Transportation Fund is spent on transportation and every penny raised for transportation goes into the fund.
"If there was actually a lock box that we could have voted on, I'm sure we could have gotten it through," said Rep. Themis Klarides, R-Derby, the Republican leader of the House. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Eastern League President Joe McEachern said in an interview that continuing to play home games at their opponents' parks was taking a toll on players and coaches, as well as the other teams. Nonetheless, at 19-6, the team has the best record in the league.
"It's time for them to get themselves in a more stable position," McEachern said. "Our partners were willing to step up but it was becoming a burden." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Malloy loses political fight over transportation fund
HARTFORD — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy lacked the power and political traction to propel the lock box amendment to secure the Special Transportation Fund over the top. The legislature adjourned Wednesday without taking action on the proposed constitutional amendment that Malloy had spent the last year campaigning to get on the statewide ballot for 2016. The Democratic governor was unable to win over the Republican votes necessary to achieve the supermajorities of the House and Senate needed to achieve his goal. There also remained some Democrats unwilling to declare money in the Special Transportation Fund off limits, amplifying Malloy's need for Republican votes.
Malloy and advocates of the lock box amendment had to hit 114 votes in the 151-member House and 27 votes in the 36-member Senate. The best Malloy got was a tepid 22-11 vote of the Transportation Commitee that kept the proposal rolling, but a number of members stated they were only voting to report the measure out of committee. The proposed amendment stalled following the committee vote amid continuing disagreements over its scope and a state budget crisis.
The Malloy administration is not giving up. "The lockbox is the very definition of a structural change — that's why we are such ardent supporters of it," said Devon Puglia, the governor's director of communications. "We know we need to transform our transportation system, and we will get this done. It's critical to our ability to invest in our economy and attract new businesses."
The failure also disappointed and frustrated advocates of the proposed amendment. "The proposal to put the Special Transportation Fund lockbox before November's voters in a constitutional referendum should have been as easy as it gets," said Karen Burnaska, coordinator of the Transit for Connecticut coalition. "Who wouldn't want voters to decide the future of such an important policy proposal for our state?" Actually, most lawmakers support the idea of constitutionally locking up transportation funding. Seven out of 10 legislators did in a vote during a special session in December. The margins, though, were not large enough to get the amendment on the 2016 ballot on that try.
THE PROBLEM FOR MALLOY boiled down to two things: Republican lawmakers consider the proposed amendment too weak, and some Democrats objected to making transportation funding sacrosanct while safety net programs were being cut back.
Republicans did not believe the administration's claims that the lock box amendment assures every penny in the Special Transportation Fund is spent on transportation and every penny raised for transportation goes into the fund.
"If there was actually a lock box that we could have voted on, I'm sure we could have gotten it through," said Rep. Themis Klarides, R-Derby, the Republican leader of the House. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE