The Colorado unemployment rate plummeted 0.8 percentage point in December from a year earlier as the state’s work force neared its 2001 record, officials said today.
The jobless rate stood at 4.6 percent in December, down from 5.4 percent a year earlier and 5.0 percent in November 2005.
“Colorado’s labor market ended the year on an up note,” said Rick Grice, executive director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
“The annual average wage and salary employment grew more than 46,000 jobs, to a level nearly equal to the 2001 all-time high,” he said.
The total civilian labor force was 2.54 million in December, up 40,300 from the year before.
Employment increased in 10 of 11 the state’s 11 major industries from December 2004, with only the information sector showing a decline. Professional services had the largest year-over-year gain, followed by the construction sector and the trade, transportation and utilities sector.
The national unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in December.
