CampaignCT.org | The Campaign for a Working Connecticut

Fact Sheet

Out of the nine million working families in the US who are considered low-income, 27% are officially living in poverty. *

One fifth of all jobs in the United States do not provide enough annual compensation to keep a family of four above the poverty level. *
Seventy-one percent of low-income families work an average of 2,500 hours per year, which equals 1.2 full-time jobs. *
Over the past 30 years, workers in the United States who do not hold a high school degree have experienced an 18.5 percent decline in their wages.

Many of Connecticut’s residents are not prepared for the workforce or prepared to move beyond entry-level employment.

Thirty-two percent of employers report that poor reading and writing skills are among the most serious skill deficiencies of current hourly production employees.
Twenty-nine percent of Connecticut residents lack a postsecondary education.
Forty percent of Connecticut adults lack adequate literacy skills to function effectively in the workplace.
Thirty-seven percent of adults in the Jobs First Employment Services (JFES) program lack a high school diploma.
Students enrolled in the state’s Adult Basic Education system represent only 7.6% of the adults in the state without a high school diploma.

Connecticut must invest in its workforce to ensure its own long-term economic success.

Twenty-four percent of respondents to the Connecticut Business and Industry Association’s 2007 Survey of Connecticut Businesses stated that availability of skilled workers was a major concern facing their business within the next five years.
Connecticut currently spends only $0.16 per person on incumbent worker training. By contrast, Massachusetts invests $6.54 and Rhode Island $16.93 per worker.

Connecticut must advance the skills of its workforce to bridge the wage gap.

An individual needs to earn $19.30 an hour (or hold 2.5 full time minimum wage jobs) to afford a two bedroom apartment in Connecticut.
In 2006, 16.8% of CT workers earned a poverty wage of $9.91/hour (the federal poverty level for a family of four for a full time year round worker).
Nearly half of Connecticut occupations do not provide an income sufficient to afford a modest two bedroom apartment.