Connecticut Labor Market & Department of Labor Job Search Tools

CaTS serves all of Fairfield County though it is based and its volunteers operate specifically out of New Canaan.

Happy New Year? After suffering one of the worst recessions since
World War II, the Connecticut economy started to rebound in 2010 but growth
slowed in 2011. Join first-time CaTS presenter Patrick Flaherty, as he reviews
the recent performance of the Connecticut Economy and its labor markets and
offers his outlook for the future. In the short run, many challenges remain but
the longer term picture looks brighter. Patrick will also give a brief overview
of some of the tools available for job search on the Department of Labor's
website.

Patrick J. Flaherty is an economist in the Connecticut Department of
Labor’s Office of Research where his responsibilities include occupational
projections and long-term industry projections. He received his Bachelors Degree
in Social Studies from Harvard University and his Masters Degree in Economics
from the University of Connecticut where he is currently a Ph.D candidate with a
concentration in labor economics. Patrick’s research interests focus on
displaced workers and human capital development. He has authored several
manuscripts for the Office of Research, has given many talks and presentations
to business and jobseeker groups, and is quoted frequently in the Connecticut
media. Patrick is a member of the Hartford Area Business Economists and the
American Economic Association. He was a member of the Commission on Nonprofit
Health and Human Services having been appointed by then-Governor Rell as a
person having knowledge of the state’s labor market.

Among his experiences, Patrick worked for fourteen years for Fleet
Financial Group and its predecessor companies where he was Vice President and
Senior Economist. Patrick served ten years as a State Representative in the
Connecticut General Assembly where he served on many committees, including the
Education Committee and the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee and spent
eight years as chair of the Select Committee on Housing. Prior to his election
to the legislature, Patrick served as Chairman of the Coventry Board of
Education.