According to an April 19 press release from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), Archuleta County’s unemployment rate dropped from 4.5 percent in February to 4 percent in March.
The county began the year with the same unemployment rate of 4 percent for the month of January. According to CDLE reports, the unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent for the month of February.
Archuleta County’s labor force also declined slightly over the past month, from 6,639 in February to 6,603 in March. The county began the year with a labor force of 6,541 in January and saw a slight increase to 6,639 for the month of February.
For the month of March, there were 6,342 individuals employed in Archuleta County. There were 6,338 individuals employed in February and 6,282 individuals employed in January.
County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
According to the press release, the county with the highest unemployment rate for March was Huerfano County with 6.9 percent unemployment, followed by Las Animas County at 5.9 percent and Fremont County at 5.7 percent.
Rio Grande County is next at 5.5 percent, followed by Montezuma County at 5.3 percent.
According to the same press release, the counties with the lowest unemployment rates in March are Summit County, San Miguel County and Cheyenne County, all at 2.3 percent.
The state’s unemployment rate rose from 3.5 percent in February to 3.7 percent in March. The state’s unemployment rate in January was 3.4 percent.
The state’s labor force decreased by 300 to 3,525,300 in March.
The press release notes, “Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a percentage point in March to 3.7 percent compared to the February rate of 3.5 percent. The number of unemployed individuals grew by 3,700 over the same time period to 118,200. The national unemployment rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.8 percent from February to March.”
Employers in Colorado added 5,300 nonfarm payroll jobs from February to March, bringing the total number of jobs in Colorado to 2,983,300.
Nonfarm payroll jobs measure the number of workers excluding farmers.
The private sector gained 2,700 nonfarm payroll jobs and the government sector gained 2,600 jobs.
The largest private-sector job gains in March include professional and business services at about 2,100.
The largest private-sector job losses in March were in construction at about 1,500.
“Since March 2023, nonfarm payroll jobs have increased 61,200, with the private sector growing by 33,500 and government adding 27,700 jobs,” the press release notes.
Since March 2023, the largest private-sector job gains include:
• Educational and health services at about 17,400.
• Professional and business services at about 11,100.
• Leisure and hospitality at about 6,900.
Since March 2023 the largest private-sector job losses include:
• Trade, transportation and utilities at about 3,700.
• Construction at about 2,400.
• Information at about 2,100.
According to the press release, “Over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased from 33.1 to 32.7 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $35.14 to $37.77, over three dollars more than the national average hourly earnings of $34.69.”
clayton@pagosasun.com
