Phil Castle, Business Times

The unemployment rate seesawed back up in Mesa County even as payrolls and the overall labor force declined between September and October.

But the latest jobless rate remains below this time last year. And there are other indications employers enjoy more success in filling openings, said Lindsay Bullock, director of the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction.  “I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate rose four-tenths of a point to 3.8 percent in October, according to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The increase follows two months of decreases. At this time last year, the rate stood at 4.5 percent.

Between September and October, Mesa County payrolls decreased 842 to 75,947. The number of people counted among those unsuccessfully looking for work increased 254 to 2,974. The labor force, which includes the employed and unemployed, declined 588 to 78,921.

Over the past year, though, payrolls swelled 1,378 or 1.8 percent. The ranks of the unemployed fell 577. The labor force grew 801.

Bullock said the number of job orders posted at the Mesa County Workforce Center has declined from last year. But that’s an indication employers are filling more openings.

For October, 693 job orders were posted, a drop of almost 35.2 percent from the same month a year ago. Through the first 10 months of 2022, 8,134 orders were posted. That’s down 16 percent from the same span in 2021.

Bullock said job vacancies persist, however, especially in the health care sector. But retailers gearing up for the holiday shopping season have fared better this year with hiring.

In other industry sectors, job applicants are looking for flexibility that allows them to work from home at least part of the time, she said.

Bullock said she expects labor conditions to remain about the same in Mesa County through the end of the year. The jobless rate typically spikes in January with post-holiday layoffs and the effects of winter weather on outdoor work.

Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates also increased in neighboring Western Colorado counties between September and October — up two-tenths of a point to 3.2 percent in Montrose County and 3.8 percent in Rio Blanco County, up three-tenths to 3.6 percent in Delta County and up four-tenths to 3.2 percent in Garfield County.

Elsewhere in Colorado, seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates ranged from 1.7 percent in Baca County in the southeast corner of the state to 7.3 percent in Huerfano County in the south-central part of the state.

Among metropolitan areas, unemployment rates ranged from 2.8 percent in Boulder to 5.5 percent in Pueblo

The statewide seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose two-tenths of a point to 3.6 percent.

According to the latest results of statewide household surveys, the Colorado labor force increased 1,900 between September and October even as the ranks of those looking for work increased 6,800.

According to the results of business surveys, nonfarm payrolls grew 17,700.

Over the past year, nonfarm payrolls increased 116,200 with the biggest gains in the professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and educational and health services sectors. Payrolls declined 1,400 in financial activities.

Over the past 30 months, Colorado has added 455,700 nonfarm payroll jobs. That more than offsets the 374,500 jobs lost in March and April 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions.

The average workweek for Colorado employees on private, nonfarm payrolls increased over the past year four-tenths of an hour to  33.8 hours. Average hourly earnings rose $2.58 to $35.27.