Hamden American Job Center To Close Permanently, Officials Announce

HAMDEN, CT — The Hamden American Job Center will permanently close next month, Connecticut Department of Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo announced Thursday.

Bartolomeo said that all Hamden staff will be reassigned to another of Connecticut’s 19 American Job Centers or to the agency’s central office.

American Job Centers are federally funded and operate in every workforce region in the state to provide career counseling, job training, resume assistance, and other services, according to officials.

The Hamden Job Center building, located at 37 Marne St., is not owned by the state; allowing the lease to expire is part of the agency’s cost containment strategy, according to a news release.

“The New Haven region has been fortunate as it has two full service American Job Centers to serve residents,” Bartolomeo said. “While the closure in Hamden will be a transition, career services remain available on site in New Haven. I want to thank our building landlord and CTDOL teams who made every effort to keep the Hamden AJC open.”

The Hamden American Job Center served 5,235 residents last year.

Several federal funding streams support the American Job Centers, according to the news release.

“While overhead and infrastructure costs continue to rise, over the past several years, CTDOL has experienced a drop in federal funding and expects the decline to continue,” officials wrote in the news release. “Federal law requires each Workforce Development Board to have at least one full-service American Job Center in its region; a few Hamden staff will work from New Haven’s Workforce Alliance to service the area.

“American Job Center services are always free and available both in person and virtually to everyone at every career stage. Career counselors are available to offer resume help, interview skills, and job search assistance. For job seekers who just need technology access, Job Centers have a computer center available to the public.”

The Connecticut Department of Labor will notify Hamden customers and help them access services in New Haven or at other American Job Centers, according to officials.