Aetna Inc. Adding to the U.S. Unemployment Rate

Aetna Inc. is laying off 1,000 employees companywide, including about 375 in Connecticut — nearly 5 percent of its workforce here — to protect profits in a declining economy.Hartford-based Aetna notified affected employees Wednesday and said the job cuts will "align administrative expenses with the company's growth outlook for 2009 and redirect resources to areas with a greater potential for future growth."The group health and life insurer has about 7,850 employees in Connecticut, excluding part-timers and including people on maternity or disability leave. A little less than half of the 375 Connecticut layoffs are in Hartford, and most of the rest are in Middletown.The 1,000 companywide layoffs represent a little less than 3 percent of Aetna's 36,208 employees.