According to a March 22 press release from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Archuleta County’s unemployment rate rose from 4 percent in January to 4.5 percent in February.
County unemployment previously rose from December 2023 to January.
From January to February, Archuleta County’s labor force rose from 6,541 to 6,639.
For the month of February, there were 6,338 individuals employed in Archuleta County, according to the press release. This figure is up from January’s report of 6,282 individuals employed in Archuleta County.
County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
According to the press release, the county with the highest unemployment rate for February was Huerfano County with 7.7 percent unemployment, followed by Fremont County at 6.4 percent and Las Animas County at 6.3 percent.
Rio Grande County and Montezuma County are next, with unemployment in both counties at 6 percent.
The state’s unemployment rate rose from 3.4 percent in January to 3.5 percent in February.
The state’s labor force fell by 1,800 from 3,237,300 in January to 3,235,500 in February.
The press release notes, “Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point in February to 3.5 percent compared to the January rate of 3.4 percent. The number of unemployed individuals grew by 4,200 over the same time period to 114,400. The national unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a percentage point to 3.9 percent from January to February.”
Employers in Colorado added 8,500 nonfarm payroll jobs from January to February, bringing the total number of jobs in Colorado to 2,975,800.
Nonfarm payroll jobs measure the number of workers excluding farmers.
The private sector gained 6,500 nonfarm payroll jobs and the government sector gained 2,000 jobs.
The largest private-sector job gains in February include:
• Educational and health services at about 3,400.
• Construction at about 1,200.
• Professional and business services at about 1,100.
There were no sectors with significant over-the-month declines in the number of jobs, the press release indicates.
“Since February 2023, nonfarm payroll jobs have increased 60,300, with the private sector growing by 33,500 and government adding 26,800 jobs,” the press release notes.
Since February 2023, the largest private-sector job gains include:
• Educational and health services at about 18,900.
• Professional and business services at about 10,100.
• Leisure and hospitality at about 8,300.
Since February 2023, the largest private-sector job losses include:
• Trade, transportation and utilities at about 4,400.
• Information at about 1,900.
• Manufacturing at about 1,600.
According to the press release, “Over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 33.0 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $35.27 to $37.19, two dollars and sixty-two cents more than the national average hourly earnings of $34.57.”
josh@pagosasun.com
