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Business & Tech

Latest Employment Figures Are Down, But ShopRite Brings Hope

Although the latest Department of Labor figures indicate an increase in unemployment, town officials are hopeful that the 200 jobs added by ShopRite will make an impact.

Southbury's unemployment rate went up slightly in June, according to recently released Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) statistics.  Town officials are hopeful the recently opened ShopRite will affect the July figures.

According to the DOL, Southbury's unemployment rate is at 7.7 percent for its latest available, June figures.  In May the rate was at 7.5 percent.  The numbers are still down from January, when the rate was 8.4.

The Connecticut unemployment rate is 8.8 percent, and 9.5 percent across the United States.

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The latest numbers on the Connecticut Department of Labor website  put the town's labor force at 9,364, with 8,640 employed, and 724 unemployed.

Labor Statistics Supervisor Salvatore DiPillo claimed that the unemployment resulting from the conclusion of the Census was offset by good growth in the private sector. Other indicators in the state, such as unemployment rates, new claims, and average workweek showed some improvement.

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Figures for July will not be available until August, but town officials are optimistic that the recent employment of about 200 people at the ShopRite store in the Southbury Shopping Center — which opened July 14 — will make a positive impact.

"I'm not aware of anything else of such significance in Southbury," said Selectman John Turk, who chairs the town's economic development commission. "It has been difficult for high school and college students to find work and many of the applicants at ShopRite were over-qualified."

Rick Maveika, store manager at ShopRite, said that about 500 people filled out applications for work at the Southbury store. "People are still coming in, filling out applications," Maveika said. "Probably three-quarters of our employees are college and high school kids, so I tell people to fill out the applications. Things will be changing."

Down the street at Stop N Shop, manager Carmen Gaetano  said that he thinks he has seen fewer applicants than usual, probably because of ShopRite. "The numbers vary with the time of year," Gaetano said. "But we usually have about 150 employees. We pick up a few kids in the summer, and got a few from Shaw's when they closed.

Turk said that he hopes further development of commercial properties in Southbury will make the employment picture even brighter for young people and ease the tax burden for the elderly.

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