Phil Castle, The Business Times

The monthly unemployment rate continues to retreat in Mesa County, edging down in December to end 2021 at the lowest level of the year and offering encouragement the trend will continue in 2022.

“It’s a really good sign as we continue on the road to recovery,” said Curtis Englehart, director of the Mesa County Workforce Center in Mesa County.

The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate edged down a tenth of a point to 4.6 percent in December, according to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

The jobless rate declined in nine out of 12 months in 2021, falling from a high of 8 percent in January. At this time last year, the rate stood at 7.2 percent.

The unemployment rate traditionally spikes in Mesa County in January to the highest level of the year with layoffs following the holidays and winter weather affecting outdoor work. 

Englehart said he still expects an increase in January 2022, but perhaps not as severe. The January labor estimates aren’t scheduled for release until March 14 because of annual revisions to statistics for the previous year.

Between November and December 2021, Mesa County payrolls decreased 140 to 73,539. But the number of people counted among those unsuccessfully looking for work also decreased — 115 to 3,518.

The labor force, which includes the employed and unemployed,  fell 255 to 77,057. That ended a streak of four months of gains.

Compared to a year ago, payrolls increased 2,507 even as the ranks of the unemployed decreased 1,983. The labor force grew 524.

Englehart said labor market demand as measured by the number of job orders posted at the Mesa County Workforce Center has increased to the highest levels he’s seen during his five years as director. 

For December, 991 job orders were posted. That’s a nearly 49 percent increase over the same month last year. For all of 2021, 11,799 orders were posted. That’s an increase of more than 77 percent over 2020.

“It’s a job seeker’s market,” he said.

While employers have struggled to fill openings, they’ve also changed hiring processes, emphasized benefits and company cultures and raised wages, he said.

The Mesa County Workforce Center will join with the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce to present a free webinar on expediting hiring processes. The online event is scheduled for 10 to 11 a.m. Feb. 8. Registration is available through the chamber website at https://gjchamber.org.

For the program year running from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, 7,938 people were employed within six months of seeking services at the center, Englehart said. Moreover, 741 local employers also received assistance during that span. “They are really good numbers.”

Looking ahead to 2022, Englehart said he expects the unemployment rate to continue to decline even as the Mesa County economy recovers. But the pace likely will be gradual.

Seasonal unadjusted unemployment rates also retreated between November and December in neighboring Western Colorado counties — four-tenths of a point to 3.8 percent in Garfield County and three-tenths of a point to 4 percent in Delta and Montrose counties and 4.4 percent in Rio Blanco County.

The statewide seasonally adjusted jobless rate fell three-tenths of a point to 4.8 percent as nonfarm payrolls grew 9,000.

Over the past year, nonfarm payrolls increased 152,000 with the biggest gains in the leisure and hospitality; business and professional services; and trade, transportation and utility sectors. Over the past 20 months, Colorado has regained 335,500 of the 375,800 jobs lost between February and April 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions.

The average workweek for employees on private, nonfarm payrolls decreased three-tenths of an hour to 33.2 hours. Average hourly earnings increased $2.08 to $33.28.