Last year marked the achievement of the first decade in this new century. A lot happened; especially to our economy. Although many of us experienced a recession, on any given day, I could take a walk through Blue Back Square in West Hartford or stroll the aisles in Whole Foods and “recession” was no where in sight.
What is amazing about our state is at the same time that some towns are experiencing rising unemployment, other towns and cities still make it to the top ten list to live, to work, or best places for young professionals. Besides listing Greenwich, Fairfield, West Hartford, etc., I was surprised to find Hartford on one such list.
On April 30, 2010, CNBC posted thetop (12) cities to get a job and Hartford ranked seventh. Their listing also noted that the ratio for jobs and the unemployed in Hartford was “two unemployed people for every job opening” and a median salary for those jobs at $50,340.
Does this mean that the unemployment rate is low for the City of Hartford? No. According to the Department of Labor, Hartford’s unemployment rate in April 2010 (the date of CNBC’s article) was 14.40 percent — representing a 1.6 percent drop from the previous month. In fact, Hartford’s unemployment rate fluctuated between 14.40 and 17.00 percent throughout last year. [....]
In addition, out of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities, Hartford consistently has the highest unemployment rate than any other municipality. Clearly, there’s a story within a story that shows a two cities functioning — or malfunction — on opposite sides of the coin. Are we outsourcing jobs to folks outside of Hartford, thereby leaving Hartford’s real residents to fight over what’s left or stand on the unemployment line? It makes one stop and wonder where are those jobs going? Whose being employed? ETC.
