While many parts of Connecticut struggle with job growth, the Danbury area showed an increase of 1,600 jobs last month and continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the state, according to a report released by the state Department of Labor.
According to the monthly Labor Situation report, Danbury was the only area in the state with a decrease in its unemployment rate, from 7.6 percent in June 2009 to 7.3 percent last month.
Waterbury, the state's hardest hit area, saw an increase during the same time period from 11.1 to 11.8 percent.
Surprising local officials and state economists, the Danbury area added 1,600 jobs during the past month, a 2.5 percent increase, according to the report.
Patrick Flaherty, a state labor department economist, said the jobs figure could be affected by lingering census work in the area, or by the small sampling that's used to come up with the jobs number, but either way it's still good news for the city.
"That's a huge jump in one month, and you know what they say about things being too good to be true," Flaherty said. "On the other hand, to be able to say jobs are up from a year ago is tremendous when most of the state can't say that."
The figures indicate the Danbury area may have "hit bottom and turned a corner," he added.
"Jobs probably aren't skyrocketing up like the numbers might suggest, but to even have gains is a really positive sign," Flaherty said.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton credited the city's diverse industry base for its continued low jobless rate compared with the rest of the state and the nation.
Boughton said several businesses have come the city, including P.C. Richard, PepsiCo and Chuck E. Cheese, and that could have contributed to the increase in the jobs number.
He also credited an increase in construction work as workers prepare old sites, such as the former Filene's space at the Danbury Fair mall, for new businesses.
Wayne Shepperd, the city's economic development director and mayor's chief of staff, said he has been fielding more calls from businesses interested in coming to Danbury.
"I can certainly sense there is a change happening, there is no two cents about it," he said.
