Conn. Unemployment Rate Jumps To 8.8 Percent

 WETHERSFIELD (AP) — The Connecticut Labor Department says the state’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 8.8 percent, even though employers added 1,000 jobs in October.

The gain announced November 19 is statistically small and does not erase the 6,600 lost jobs in September. However, Labor Statistics Supervisor Salvatore DiPillo says it is welcome news.

DiPillo also says initial claims for October, at 5,900, are at their lowest level since last December.

The news comes a day after health insurer Aetna Inc announced it will eliminate 160 Connecticut jobs. More layoffs are expected by March.

Meanwhile, the Mortgage Bankers Association says in a report also released November 19 that the number of foreclosures and seriously delinquent loans in Connecticut rose from six percent to seven percent during the third quarter of this year to stand at 37,022.