State Economy Expected To Add

150,000 New Jobs This Decade

ROCKY HILL — From 2000 to 2010, the Connecticut economy will add, on average, about 15,000 new jobs each year, according to the latest occupational forecast from the Department of Labor (DOL). In addition, DOL estimates that there will be 40,000 openings each year, on average, due to workers who retire, change jobs, or leave the workforce for a variety of other reasons.

The recent recession –– in which 28,000 jobs were lost –– and the subsequent jobless recovery may mitigate these forecasts to some degree, but the data show that openings are expected in those jobs requiring higher levels of training and education.

In fact, demographic trends –– including the aging of the state’s population and a smaller pool of younger workers, coupled with occupational shifts and such increasing educational requirements, may present significant challenges to businesses, workers, and the state’s employment and training infrastructure.

Over the past decade, the population in Connecticut between the ages of 18 and 34 has declined by nearly 200,000 –– or more than 22 percent –– the third greatest relative decline among the 50 states. While there is some evidence that this trend has mitigated somewhat over the past few years, US Census population projections for Connecticut show that the pool of 18-year-olds will begin declining after 2007.

The educational requirements of the expected new jobs also could screen out a number of available workers, as half of the new jobs will require some level of postsecondary training or education. Even manufacturing jobs, still a key component of the state’s economic base, are becoming increasingly technical, requiring more education than in the past. Additionally, those manufacturing jobs requiring no training beyond high school are expected to decline this decade.

Economists from CERC, a nonprofit corporation specializing in economic development, conducted an analysis of the DOL forecast and other data for the Connecticut Employment and Training Commission to provide a broader perspective about demographic and economic trends. The findings are presented in a report called Jobs 2010: A Look at Connecticut’s Workforce Needs Over the Coming Decade (available online at www.cerc.com/detpages/news733.html). The commission makes recommendations to the legislature regarding state policies and investments in the employment and training arena.