By Josh Pike | Staff Writer
According to a Dec. 16, press release from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Archuleta County’s unemployment rate stayed steady for the month of November at 3.1 percent, the same rate as October.
County employment has generally decreased over the past year.
From October to November, Archuleta County’s labor force shrunk from 7,462 to 7,128.
For the month of November, there were 6,909 individuals employed in Archuleta County, according to the press release. This figure is down from October’s report of 7,233 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 September was Huerfano County at 7.2 percent, followed by Pitkin County and Las Animas County, both at 5.2.
Next are Pueblo County and San Miguel County, both at 5.1 percent, then Fremont County at 5.0 percent.
The state’s unemployment rate decreased from 3.6 percent to 3.5 percent between November and October.
The state’s labor force dropped slightly from 3,256,900 in October to 3,252,100 in November.
The press release notes, “Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point in November to 3.5 percent. The number of unemployed individuals dropped by 2,700 over the same time period to 113,600. Colorado’s unemployment rate has ranged between 3.3 and 3.6 percent since April. The national unemployment rate was unchanged in November at 3.7 percent, which translates to approximately 6.0 million unemployed.”
Employers in Colorado added 4,300 nonfarm payroll jobs from October to November, bringing the total number of jobs in Colorado to 2,901,900.
Nonfarm payroll jobs measure the number of workers excluding farmers.
The private sector added 2,000 nonfarm payroll jobs and the government sector gained 2,300 jobs.
The press release notes that, over the past 31 months, Colorado has added 456,800 nonfarm payroll jobs, compared to losses totaling 374,500 in March and April 2020.
“That translates to a job recovery rate of 122.0 percent, which exceeds the U.S. rate of 104.7 percent,” it states.
The press release also states that, “Since May 2020, Colorado’s private sector has grown by 448,500 jobs, compared to declines of 358,800 in early 2020. That translates to a job recovery rate of 125.0 percent and outpaces the U.S. rate of 107.2 percent.”
The private-industry sectors with significant job gains in November include:
• Educational and health services at about 2,800.
• Professional and business services at about 2,200.
• Financial activities at about 2,000.
The industries with significant over-the-month declines include:
• Construction at about 3,400.
• Leisure and hospitality at about 2,600.
“Since November 2021, nonfarm payroll jobs have increased 103,400, with the private sector growing by 90,900 and government adding 12,500 jobs,” the press release notes.
Since November 2021, the largest private-sector job gains include:
• Professional and business services at about 31,200.
• Educational and health services at about 16,000.
• Leisure and hospitality at about 12,200.
Since October 2021, financial activities jobs have declined by about 700.
According to the press release, “Over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls was flat at 33.2 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $33.07 to $35.88, over three dollars more than the national average hourly earnings of $32.82.”
josh@pagosasun.com
