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State's jobless rate up slightly

End of ski season put thousands out of work by May

Roger Fillion, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 17, 2006 at midnight

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Colorado's jobless rate edged up to 4.5 percent in May from 4.3 percent in April, a new report showed, as the close of a banner ski season spelled an end to work for thousands of seasonal employees.

A state economist downplayed the slight rise in the unemployment rate, which remained well below the 5.2 percent rate posted a year earlier.

"The Colorado labor market is going into the summer strongly," said economist Joe Winter of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. "We're maintaining a strong economy."

This year the jobless rate has ranged from 4.3 percent to 4.7 percent, according to the department. The national unemployment rate stood at 4.6 percent in May.

"Small movements in the unemployment rate are not unusual in transition months like May," Rick Grice, executive director of the Colorado Department of Labor, said in a news release.

Colorado ski resorts notched a record 12.53 million visits in the 2005-2006 season. Only one resort stayed open throughout May: Arapahoe Basin, which closed in early June.

And while the ski season largely finished in April, most employment numbers were not reflected in state figures until May. The employment report showed the leisure and hospitality industry shed 5,100 workers that month, before adjusting for seasonal variations.

Winter said the bulk of those workers were ski employees.

Despite the uptick in the jobless rate, recent data suggest Colorado's economy is growing more quickly than the nation's as a whole after years of recession.

But the state still trails most of its Western neighbors.

Total employment in Colorado fell 19,700 in May after adjusting for seasonal factors. Despite the drop, the number of people holding jobs was up 89,400 from a year earlier, to 2,504,000

The estimated number of unemployed Coloradans rose 5,400 in May, to 118,500. The total was below last May's level of 133,200.

Before adjusting for seasonal variations, 35 counties recorded higher jobless rates in May while 18 reported lower rates. Eleven counties were unchanged.

Costilla County saw the highest rate at 8.2 percent, while Cheyenne County had the lowest at 2.6 percent.

Colorado unemployment by county

A county-by-county look at May unemployment percentages. Thestatewide rate is adjusted for monthly changes in the labor market,including seasonal work such as farm labor. The county unemploymentfigures are not adjusted for seasonal labor changes.

Adams    4.9%

Alamosa    4.6%

Arapahoe    4.3%

Archuleta    3.4%

Baca    3.2%

Bent    6.1%

Boulder    3.7%

Broomfield    4.3%

Chaffee    4.1%

Cheyenne    2.6%

Clear Creek    4.2%

Conejos    6.3%

Costilla    8.2%

Crowley    7.0%

Custer    3.8%

Delta    3.8%

Denver    5.0%

Dolores    7.5%

Douglas    3.1%

Eagle    5.0%

Elbert    3.7%

El Paso    4.5%

Fremont    5.5%

Garfield    3.0%

Gilpin    4.3%

Grand    4.3%

Gunnison    3.9%

Hinsdale    3.0%

Huerfano    6.0%

Jackson    3.2%

Jefferson    4.2%

Kiowa    3.5%

Kit Carson    3.2%

Lake    6.0%

La Plata    3.2%

Larimer    3.8%

Las Animas    3.6%

Lincoln    3.9%

Logan    3.2%

Mesa    3.6%

Mineral    6.2%

Moffat    4.0%

Montezuma    4.3%

Montrose    3.7%

Morgan    4.1%

Otero    6.5%

Ouray    3.2%

Park    3.6%

Phillips    3.3%

Pitkin    6.5%

Prowers    6.4%

Pueblo    5.4%

Rio Blanco    3.1%

Rio Grande    4.4%

Routt    4.7%

Saguache    4.6%

San Juan    6.4%

San Miguel    5.9%

Sedgwick    3.5%

Summit    5.1%

Teller    4.1%

Washington    3.8%

Weld    4.2%

Yuma    2.8%

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