Colorado’s Unemployment Rate Makes Slight Jump

The states average unemployment rate is up from the previous month.

Colorado’s unemployment rate saw a slight increase in May, from 7.9% to 8%.

The Department of Labor and employment says the increase is caused by more people actively participating in the labor force, along with more people reporting their status as unemployed.

Since the start of 2012 job growth has been slowing.

For years, that's been the trend not just in Colorado but across the globe.

But state economist say there have been improvement.

“We’ve made big strides just in adding jobs,” Alexandra Hall, with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, said. “Over the year, Colorado has added about 40,000 nonfarm payroll jobs.”

Mesa County’s unemployment rate is still one of the highest in the state, but just like the rest of Colorado, it’s gone done since last May.

It now sits at 9% versus 9.6% a year ago.