Phil Castle, The Business Times

The unemployment rate continues to drop in Mesa County as employers enjoy more success in filling job openings.

What’s typically a seasonal spike in the jobless rate in June could interrupt the trend. Overall, conditions improve, said Curtis Englehart, director of the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction. “I still feel good about where we are in the economy.”

The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate dropped six-tenths of a point between March and April to 3.3 percent, according to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Employment and Labor.

The jobless rate dropped 1.2 points over the last two months to the lowest level since before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. At this time in 2021, the rate stood at 6.3 percent.

Between March and April, Mesa County payrolls were essentially unchanged at 76,204. The number of people counted among those unsuccessfully looking for work dropped 477 to 2,637. The labor force, which includes the employed and unemployed, shrank 480 to 78,841.

Over the past year, payrolls rose 3,814 or nearly 5.3 percent. The ranks of the unemployed decreased 2,259. The labor force swelled 1,555.

The jobless rate usually increases in June as high school and college graduates join the work force, but haven’t yet found positions. Afterwards, Englehart said he expects the rate to slip further, although at a slower pace.

While employers still face labor shortages, there are some indications the situation is improving, he said. The number of job orders posted at the Mesa County Workforce Center is beginning to decrease on a year-over-year basis despite continued demand. “That’s telling me a lot of those openings have been filled.”

For April, 809 job orders were posted. That’s down almost 23 percent from the 1,046 orders posted the same month last year.

Through the first four months of 2022, 3,379 orders were posted. That’s up slightly from the 3,338 orders posted for the same span in 2021. But Englehart said he expects that to change because orders exceeded 1,000 for most months last year.

Employers participating in a recent job fair the Mesa County Workforce Center staged in conjunction with Colorado Mesa University reported receiving quality applications for openings, he said.

Englehart said he’s also encouraged by strong demand across most industry sectors — not only health care, but also construction, manufacturing and transportation.

Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates also dropped in neighboring Western Colorado counties in April: six-tenths of a point to 3.4 percent in Delta County and 3.9 percent in Rio Blanco County, a half point to 3.3 percent in Montrose and four-tenths of a point to 2.8 percent in Garfield County.

The statewide seasonally adjusted jobless rate edged down a tenth of a point to 3.6 percent, the lowest level since the rate stood at 2.8 percent in February 2020 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 14,600 between March and April. Over the past two years, Colorado has added 403,500 jobs — more than the 374,500 jobs lost in March and April 2020 as a result of the pandemic and related restrictions.

Over the past year, payrolls grew 129,000 with the largest gains in the leisure and hospitality; professional and business services; and trade, transportation and utilities sectors.

Over the past year, the average workweek for employees on private, nonfarm payrolls shortened two-tenths of an hour to 33.3 hours. Average hourly earnings increased 11 cents to $34.34.