Community Corner

Madison Unemployment Rate Is Up Slightly To 5.9 Percent In January; Still, Significantly Lower Than Most Surrounding Towns And Nationally

Madison's January Rate Is Higher Than November (5.3 Percent) And December (5.6 Percent)

The unemployment rate in Madison was 5.9 percent in January 2011, down from 6.5 percent in January 2010, but up slightly from November (5.3 percent) December (5.6 percent,) according to statistics from REX, the economic development organization for the fifteen towns served by the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG.)

 Madison’s rate was significantly lower than the national unemployment rate of 9.0 percent in January 2011. But it’s less than ideal that the rate is creeping up, says Ginny Kozlowski, REX executive director. The national unemployment rate dropped in both December and January.

 “For our 15 towns, every town saw an increase in January,” she said. “Part of it could be seasonal and related to the snow. And we lost 4,000 jobs statewide in the travel and leisure sector.” Kozlowski said men over 50 were particularly hard hit by recent job losses, along with younger people.

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 Still, Madison fared better than many surrounding towns. “Like some of our smaller towns that tend to have more professional demographics, Madison is doing relatively well,” she said. “The good news for us is that we have a great education and medical field in this region. There have been new jobs created through efforts at Yale. And when Quinnipiac Medical School goes online, that will create new jobs as well.”

Quinnipiac plans to open the medical school by Fall 2013 or 2014. Kozlowski also pointed to plans by Yale to open a new health service, similar to the one on Goose Lane, in North Haven.

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“Certainly there will be more activity as they move further along with that process,” she said.

1/2010 11/2010 12/2010 1/2011 Madison 6.5% 5.3% 5.6% 5.9% Guilford 6.7% 5.9% 6.0% 6.5% New Haven 13.6% 12.8% 13.0% 14.3% Region 9.9% 9.1% 9.1% 14.3% CT 9.0% 9.0% 9.0% 9.0% US 9.7% 9.8% 9.4% 9.0%

Unemployment rates provided by REX, the economic development organization for the fifteen towns served by the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG)


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