Job growth in Colorado passes pre-recession mark

Colorado is back in an expansion mode, regaining all the jobs lost during the recession. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t more work to be done.

As of June, the state had regained all the jobs lost in the recession, surpassing the peak pre-recession employment in May 2008, reported Alexandra Hall, chief economist with the state Department of Labor and Employment.

“We can safely say we’re in a period where we’ve recovered all the jobs … and Colorado is actually beginning an expansionary phase on the payroll jobs front,” Hall explained on a conference call with media on Friday.

In addition to jobs growing, so too has the unemployment rate, but month-to month numbers are considered more volatile and annual changes are more steady.

While the state inched up to 7 percent in unemployment since May, Weld County’s rate grew to 8.4 percent for June from 7.1 percent in May. Last year at this time, however, the unemployment rate — which is based on a house hold survey and measures those who report they are actively seeking employment — was at 9.2 percent. The rate in Fort Collins-Loveland sunk to 6.2 percent from 6.7 percent last year.

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