WASHINGTON: For the first time in nearly two decades, Colorado’s unemployment rate is at 3%; which is well below the national average. On top of an unemployment rate drop, Colorado has also added 2,500 news jobs since the month of February. Colorado’s unemployment rate has hit 3 percent for the first time in 15 years.
Mesa County however is still at nearly double that rate. According to the workforce center, Mesa County’s rate is 5.4%. “So we’ve dropped about 3 tenths of a point since January, which is good,” says Director, John Flanagan. “We’re trending in the right direction.”
“Businesses look to relocated sometimes and they look at talent pools that are available or talent pools that are actually mapped,” says Flanagan. “They may have a easier time finding some of that talent on the front range.”
Colorado ranks as the state with the 4th lowest unemployment rate, sitting at 1.9 percent below the national average. Mesa County however is .5 percent above the national average. With Mesa County’s rate dropping .3 percent over the past few months, workforce officials say we may still be lagging, but we’re on the right track.
“As we continue to look at growing our advanced manufacturing sector, along with continuing to grow our traditional industry drivers like healthcare, IT and hospitality and tourism; we look for all of those industries to kind of continue in the right direction of growth,” explains Flanagan.
The Mesa County Workforce Center will also be using talent mapping in the upcoming months with hopes to bring new jobs and industries to the Grand Valley.
