A new report shows Connecticut ended the year on a high note in terms of job gains, but the state's unemployment rate remains unchanged.
Monday's monthly Department of Labor employment report indicates Connecticut gained 6,000 net jobs in December, while the state's unemployment rate for that month remained at 4.6 percent.
Preliminary data show Connecticut added a total of 7,700 jobs over 2017. Andy Condon, the agency's director of the Office of Research, says that's better than the 5,000 average annual job growth seen in 2016.
He warns that the data could be revised.
Monday's report also notes "surprising strength" among retail jobs and a gain of 2,000 manufacturing jobs in December.
Connecticut has now recovered 76.4 percent, or 91,000 of the seasonally adjusted jobs lost in the recession.
