Phil Castle, The Business Times

After topping a seasonal speed bump in January, labor indicators look to be headed toward another year of improvement in Mesa County.

“February numbers looked really good, and I expect that to continue,”  said Curtis Englehart, director of the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction.

According to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Labor, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate dropped 1.2 points to 4.6 percent in Mesa County even as the overall labor force passed the 77,000 milestone for the first time in four years. Decreasing claims for unemployment benefits also offer encouragement, Englehart said.

As spring weather heats up and along with it construction activity and seasonal outdoor work, conditions should improve even more, he said.

The unemployment rate historically spikes in January because of layoffs following the holidays and the effects of winter weather on the construction industry. The spike was even more pronounced this year compared to what was an increase to 4.8 percent in 2018. With the decline, the jobless rate in February matches the rate from a year ago.

For February, Mesa County payrolls increased 1,632 to 74,031. The number of people counted among those unsuccessfully looking for work decreased 866 to 3,599. The overall labor force, which includes the employed and unemployed, rose 766 to 77,630.

Over the past year, payrolls have grown 2,578 — or about
3.6 percent. The ranks of the unemployed have edged up 117. The labor force has increased 2,698.

The combination of a lower jobless rate and larger labor force reflects an improving labor market and economy, Englehart said.

Still, the number of job orders posted at the Mesa County Workforce Center declined again in February on a year-over-year basis to 548. For the first two months of 2019, 1,140 job orders have been posted at the center. That’s down nearly 16 percent from the same span in 2018. Each job order usually involves two to three job openings, though. Labor demand remains strongest for jobs in health care and office and administrative support, Englehart said.

Meanwhile, initial claims for jobless benefits fell to 125 in February. That’s the lowest level since 2008, Englehart said. For the first two months of 2019, 335 claims for benefits were filed in Mesa County, down almost 18.5 percent from the same span in 2018.

Englehart said he expects the unemployment rate to continue to trend lower, although not in such big chunks. The labor force should continue to grow, he said, as improving conditions attract more people to the work force and more people relocate to Mesa County, especially from the Front Range of Colorado.

Englehart said he’ll know more when the March labor estimates come out on April 19. But for now, he said he’s optimistic. “2019 is already shaping up to another good year for Mesa County.”

Seasonally unadjusted jobless rates also fell in neighboring Western Colorado counties in February: a point to 6 percent in Rio Blanco County, seven-tenths of a point to 4.7 percent in Delta County and 4.6 percent in Montrose County and six-tenths of a point to 3.7 percent in Garfield County.

The statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent as nonfarm payrolls edged up 700.

Over the past year, the Colorado joblesss rate has increased eight-tenths of a point as the number of people looking for work exceeded those reporting themselves as employed. Nonfarm payrolls have increased 44,800 with the biggest gains in professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and trade, transportation and utilities.

The average workweek has shortened two-tenths of an hour to 33.1 hours. Average hourly earnings have increased $1.51 to $29.93.