Colorado unemployment rate steady at 8 percent in May as Census Bureau boosts jobs

Colorado jobless rate steady at 8 percent in May

DENVER — Colorado’s unemployment rate held steady at 8 percent in May, with hiring by the U.S. Census Bureau temporarily boosting jobs, the state Department of Labor and Employment said Friday.

Last month’s jobless rate is slightly lower than the 8.2 percent rate in May 2009. The rate is adjusted for seasonal differences.

The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in May, down from 9.9 percent in April.

Colorado added about 7,800 government jobs, including about 7,600 temporary census jobs, in May, the state labor department said.

“While Census hiring is providing a brief boost in Colorado jobs and our unemployment rate is lower than this time last year, the labor market remains weak,” department head Donald Mares said in a written statement.

There were about 213,800 unsuccessful job seekers in May, down from 225,000 a year ago, and about 2.45 million working Coloradans, which is down from about 2.5 million a year ago, the department said.

The construction industry added 1,500 jobs in May thanks to greater-than-normal seasonal hiring, but the industry’s employment levels were still about 14 percent lower than last year, at 112,400 jobs.

Jobs also were lost in trade, transportation and utilities; manufacturing; leisure and hospitality; professional and business services; information; financial activities; and mining and logging.

The education and health services sector added an estimated 3,800 jobs, according to seasonally adjusted figures.

Online:

Department of Labor and Employment release: www.coworkforce.com/lmi/ali/currentpr.htm