Colorado Employment Situation – September 2022
Barbara Crimond | Oct 24, 2022 | Comments 0
5,600 Nonfarm Payroll Jobs Added in September Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 3.4%
Household survey data:
According to the survey of households, Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was flat in September at 3.4 percent. While the number of unemployed individuals fell by 2,200, the unemployment rate was unchanged due to rounding. The national unemployment rate edged downward by two-tenths of a percentage point to 3.5 percent, which translates to approximately 5.8 million unemployed.
Colorado’s labor force declined by 2,800 in September to 3,255,100. The share of Coloradans participating in the labor force lowered by two-tenths of a percentage point to 69.4 percent last month. The U.S. labor force participation rate was 62.3 percent in September, dropping one-tenth of a percentage point from the month prior.
The number of individuals employed in Colorado decreased slightly by 600 in September to 3,145,400, which represents 67.1 percent of the state’s 16+ population. That rate of 67.1 percent is over two percentage points higher than a year ago and six-tenths of a percentage point higher than it was in February 2020. The national employment-to-population ratio was flat at 60.1 percent in September and remains below its February 2020 level of 61.2 percent.
Establishment survey data:
Employers in Colorado added 5,600 nonfarm payroll jobs from August to September for a total of 2,882,800 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs increased 7,600 and government shed 2,000 jobs. Over the past 29 months, Colorado has added 437,700 nonfarm payroll jobs, compared to losses totaling 374,500 in March and April 2020. That translates to a job recovery rate of 116.9 percent, which exceeds the U.S. rate of 102.3 percent.
Since May 2020, Colorado’s private sector has grown by 435,400 jobs, compared to declines of 358,800 in early 2020. That translates to a job recovery rate of 121.3 percent and outpaces the U.S. rate of 105.3 percent.
Here are the jobs percentages for several southeastern Colorado counties:
Labor Force |
Sept 2022 | Unemployed | Aug 2022 | Sept 2021 | Unemployed | |
Baca | 2,088 | 1.6 | 34 | 1.7 | 1.8 |
37 |
Bent |
1,899 | 3.8 | 73 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 109 |
Kiowa | 887 | 107 | 15 | 1.7 | 2.4 |
22 |
Las Animas |
6,481 | 4.7 | 306 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 382 |
Otero | 8,181 | 4.4 | 360 | 4.4 | 5.4 |
450 |
Prowers |
6,298 | 2.6 | 162 | 2.8 | 3.8 |
240 |
Filed Under: Agriculture • Chamber of Commerce • Consumer Issues • County • Economy • Employment • Featured • Hot Topics
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