Phil Castle, The Business Times

The monthly unemployment rate has retreated in Mesa County to it’s lowest level in Mesa County in four months.

It’s a trend that’s expected to continue through the end of the year before what’s typically a seasonal spike after the holidays, said Celina Kirnberger, employment services supervisor at the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction. 

The seasonally unadjusted jobless rate fell two-tenths of a point to 3.4 percent in September, according to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. That’s the lowest level since the rate stood at 3.3 percent in May. At this time last year, the rate stood at 4.7 percent.

Kirnberger said she was pleased with the latest numbers. “I think they’re pretty good. That was definitely good to see.”

Between August and September, Mesa County payrolls grew 1,054 to 76,648. The number of people counted among those unsuccessfully looking for work fell 123 to 2,703. The labor force, which includes the employed and unemployed, increased 931 to 79,351.

Over the past year, payrolls grew 2,318 or 3.1 percent. The ranks of the unemployed declined 926. The labor force increased 1,392.

Kirnberger said labor demand remains strong across most industry sectors and particularly in the health care sector. 

The number of job orders posted at the Mesa County Workforce Center continues to decline on a year-over-year basis. But the number of job openings hasn’t decreased as much, she said.

For September, 742 job orders were posted. That’s down from 1,020 for the same month last year. Through the first the first three quarters of 2022, 7,441 orders were posted. That’s down from 8,617 for the same span in 2021.

For September 2022, job orders involved a total of 1,412 job openings. That’s down from 1,581 openings for the same month last year.

While job vacancies persist,  particularly in the health care sector, many employers work around worker shortages, Kirnberger said. “They’re finding other ways to make it work.”

There also could be some uncertainty about hiring given the risk of an impending recession, she said.

Some employers are gearing up for the coming holidays with hiring, including retailers and restaurants, she said. But many of them rely on more informal processes — help-wanted signs in windows, for example.

Kirnberger said she expects what feels like something of an employment plateau to continue through the end of the year. The jobless rate typically jumps in January with post-holiday layoffs and the effects of winter weather on outdoor work.

Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates also declined in neighboring Western Colorado counties in September: a half point to 3.6 percent in Rio Blanco County and a tenth of a point to 3.4 percent in Delta County and 3 percent in Montrose County. The jobless rate held steady at 2.8 percent in Garfield County.

The statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.4 percent.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 5,600 between August and September with a gain of 7,600 jobs in the private sector more than offsetting a loss of 2,000 government jobs.

Over the past year, nonfarm payrolls have grown 113,000, a gain of 4.1 percent. The biggest gains occurred in the leisure and hospitality; professional and business services; and trade, transportation and utility sectors. Payrolls decreased 2,600 in the financial activities sector.

Over the past 29 months, Colorado has added 437,700 nonfarm payroll jobs, more than offsetting the 374,500 jobs lost in March and April 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions.

Over the past year, the average workweek for Colorado employees on private, nonfarm payrolls held steady at 33.5 hours. Average hourly earnings increased $1.97 to $34.43.