February 16, 2024HealthSpan KonnectBrian Magna, DPTGolf Club of Avon
Sergeant-at-Arms Report
Rotarians Present: 30 (including 2 on Zoom)
Visiting Rotarians: Tom Wood West Hartford Club
Guests: Bill Budde, Prospective Member; Kathy Marioni, Guest of Speaker.
Happy Dollars: $ 2
Raffle Winner: $20 - Bob Cave
Birthdays: Kurt Lux (2/9)
Happy Dollars
Phil Ferrari was looking forward to the upcoming Super Bowl Party at his house.
Lauren Gardner finally got to go skiing on some decent snow up in Quebec. They had a ski to casino night that they gave them $50 credit towards and she won $200.
Announcements
Bob Cave is requesting help with a Loaves and Fishes project to serve a luncheon for the needy in Hartford between 10 -1 on Feb 21. Please see Bob for details if you can help.
Calendar
April 20 - Tastes of the Valley at Farmington Gardens. Colleen Grasso has details and will need help.
May 18 - Rotary Day of Service. Heather Pantano has details and is looking for a Co-Chair.
June 26 - Senior Luncheon which will be held in Canton. Sue Budde and Steve Hornstein have details and will need help.
Induction of New Members
None this week.
Awards
None this week.
Community and International Service Grants
None this week.
Presentation
Patrick J. Flaherty
Director of Research
CT Department of Labor
Patrick J. Flaherty is Director of Research at the Connecticut Department of Labor. He is as an economist and some of his responsibilities include CT industry and occupational projections. He received his Bachelor's Degree from Harvard University and his
Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Connecticut. He is an Adjunct Faculty member at UConn where he is teaching Principles of Microeconomics. He is involved on several committees such as the Connecticut Retirement Security Program and the Local Employment Dynamics Steering Committee.
Patrick presented a data rich overview of the CT economy in a very interesting and understandable fashion. Patrick was able to parse the data to give us information specifically about Avon and Canton in addition to state and national data.
The slides are presented below the summary of his remarks for your information.
Patrick provided an overview of Connecticut's economy, noting strong job growth but stagnating population. While unemployment is low, labor force participation remains an issue as many have left the workforce. Remote work is attracting new residents from expensive cities.
Statistics showed healthcare and education as top employers, with manufacturing surprisingly large. Job openings are high due to quits, though male labor participation lags. Immigration is a potential growth area if embraced as an advantage rather than problem.
Connecticut's population is aging as births decline. Younger adults leave for college but some return, while retirees depart warmer states. Remote work attracted new residents from expensive cities like California and New York in 2022. Healthcare, education, and manufacturing employ most, though finance jobs shrink due to technology. Lower-wage jobs now pay more due to labor shortage, improving income distribution but hurting state budgets reliant on wealthy taxpayers. While finance offers highest wages, those jobs are declining. Lower wages grew during pandemic as employers raised pay, improving income equality. This benefits workers but hurts state budgets dependent on wealthy taxpayers. Aging residents occupy family homes, limiting new housing. Remote work attracts new residents but high home prices remain, possibly due to lack of new construction. More housing is needed to accommodate population growth through immigration and births. Connecticut's economy has recovered from pandemic but faces challenges in attracting new residents due to high housing costs and stagnating population. Immigration, remote work, and affordable housing development could spur continued growth.
Special Announcements
None this week.
Mail Bag
None this week.
Photo Credits
Photos by editor and Mike Mezheritskiy
Technology Credits
Zoom platform management expertise by Mike Mezheritskiy.
Editor's Notes
Submission Deadline: Members are kindly encouraged to submit all materials for each week's Early Riser as early as possible. Please note that some editions may be published and distributed as early as the Saturday following our meetings, and during those weeks further contributions to the Early Riser will be included in the subsequent week's edition.
“The FOUR-WAY TEST of the things we think, say or do”:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
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