DENVER—The unemployment rate in Colorado dipped to 9.2 percent in March, as employers added about 500 nonfarm payroll jobs over the month, the state said Tuesday.
The unemployment rate was 9.3 percent in February.
The state lost an estimated 600 private sector jobs in March but gained 1,100 government payroll jobs, the Department of Labor and Employment said.
About 2.44 million Coloradans are working, down from 2.46 million in March 2010, when the unemployment rate was 9 percent. About 246,000 Coloradans are looking for work, up from nearly 244,000 a year ago.
However, Coloradans are earning slightly more per hour than a year ago, the department said.
Employees on private, nonfarm payrolls worked an average 34 hours a week, up from 33.5 hours a year ago, and average hourly earnings were $23.88, up from $23.76, the department said.
Nationally, the unemployment rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent in March, down from 9.7 percent in the year-ago period.
Economists say Colorado was late to enter the recession and has been behind the nation in recovering.
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