FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2021
CONTACT Ashlee Niedospial ashlee@narrative-project.com 570.778.5916
Connecticut Voices for Children Releases Annual Report on the State of Working Connecticut, Hosts Press Call to Detail Findings
PRESS CALL ADVISORY:
Today, September 13, 2021 | 11:30 AM | UPDATED NUMBER: (475)-207-3887
New Haven, Connecticut – Connecticut Voices for Children released its annual report, The State of Working Connecticut, Today, Monday, September 13, 2021. The report, which outlines the need for progressive budget reform, highlights the depth and scope of the state's economic problems and provides policy options to address those problems. The report found that from the Great Recession of 2007-2009 through the coronavirus-induced recession of 2020:
the state’s economic output decreased overall and Connecticut ranked 49th out of 50 in state-level growth in economic output
the distribution of wages in Connecticut remained highly inequitable, exceeding even the high level of wage inequality in the U.S. as a whole
This combination of a shrunken economy with a highly inequitable distribution has weakened both the state’s fiscal standing and the standard of living for most families, and Connecticut’s economy is on track to grow slower than the U.S. economy during recovery from the recent recession. In fact, Connecticut’s economic output would be more than 25 percent larger today if it had simply grown at the same rate as the U.S. as a whole since 2007. What is more, if wages for all workers had grown at the same rate since 1979 as for workers at the top, the typical overall worker in Connecticut would have made an additional $10,130 a year. View the Just Research here. View the Just Facts here. View the executive summary here. To discuss the findings and recommendations outlined in the report, Connecticut Voices for Children will be hosting a press only call with CT Voices Executive Director, Emily Byrne and Research & Policy Fellow and report author, Patrick R. O’Brien Today, Monday, September 13, 2021 at 11:30 AM. WHO: Emily Byrne, Executive Director, Connecticut Voices for Children Patrick R. O’Brien, Ph.D., Research & Policy Fellow and Report Author, Connecticut Voices for Children WHEN: TODAY Monday, September 13, 2021 11:30 AM WHERE: UPDATED CONFERENCE LINE Call (475)-207-3887
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About Connecticut Voices for Children Connecticut Voices for Children is a “think and do” tank working to ensure that Connecticut is a thriving and equitable state, and where all children achieve their full potential. In furtherance of its vision, Connecticut Voices for Children produces high-quality research and analysis, promotes citizen education, advocates for policy change at the state and local level and works to develop the next generation of leaders.