Phil Castle, The Business Times

The unemployment rate continues to drop in Mesa County even as the labor force grows, two trends that bode well for the continued recovery of the market.

“It really sets us up to have a really strong 2022,” said Curtis Engelhart, director of the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction.

The seasonally unadjusted jobless rate dropped six-tenths of a point between February and March to 3.9 percent as the labor force moved further past the 79,000 milestone, according to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

At this time last year, the unemployment rate was 6.8 percent and the labor force stood at 77,176.

Engelhart said the latest numbers are more indicative of those before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2020 and reflect a return to pre-pandemic conditions. “I would say we are.”

For March, Mesa County payrolls increased 581 to 76,041. The number of people counted among those unsuccessfully looking for work decreased 491 to 3,074. The labor force, which includes the employed and unemployed, edged up 90 to 79,115.

Over the past year, payrolls increased 4,107 as the ranks of the unemployed decreased 2,168. The labor force grew 1,939.

While a labor shortage persists, Englehart said more people are filling job openings. Some residents who left the local work force during the pandemic have returned. People moving to the area also are getting jobs, he said. “I think it’s a combination of both.”

Labor demand as measured by the number of job orders posted at the Mesa County Workforce Center slipped in March compared to the same month last year, but was up for the first quarter, Englehart said.

A total of 760 job orders were posted in March, down nearly 13 percent from the 871 orders posted during March 2021 and what Englehart said was a record pace last year.

For the first quarter of 2022, 2,570 orders were posted. That’s a 12 percent increase over the 2,292 orders posted for the first quarter of 2021.

The health care sector continues to account for the most job orders, but labor remains strong in the retail, hospitality and other sectors, Englehart said.

An event connecting employers and applicants is scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. April 27 with the Grand Valley Career and Job Fair at Lincoln Park in Grand Junction. The workforce center will join with Colorado Mesa University in hosting the event, he said.

Looking ahead, Englehart said he expects the unemployment rate to continue to trend downward. The labor force could top 80,000. “We’re on a trajectory to do that.”

Seasonally unadjusted jobless rates dropped six-tenths of a point in three neighboring Western Colorado counties between February and March — to 3.9 percent in Delta County, 3.1 percent in Garfield County and 4.3 percent in Rio Blanco County. The jobless rate fell a half point to 3.7 percent in Montrose County.

The statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate retreated another three-tenths of a point to 3.7 percent. That’s the lowest level since the rate stood at 2.8 percent in February 2020 and before the onset of the pandemic in the United States.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 5,800 between February and March. Over the past 23 months, Colorado has added 389,400 jobs — exceeding the 374,500 jobs lost in March and April 2020 as a result of the pandemic and related restrictions.

Over the past year, nonfarm payrolls grew 131,200 with the biggest 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 a tenths of an hour to 32.9 hours. Average hourly earnings increased $2.53 to $33.85.