PRESS RELEASE

Colorado Department of Labor and Employment • 633 Seventeenth Street • Denver, CO 80202 •

(303) 318-8004 • Fax: (303) 318-8070

For immediate release

Date:                April 7, 2006

Contact:            Colorado Department of Labor and Employment

                        Office of Government and Public Relations

Phone:             (303) 318-8004

Fax:                  (303) 318-8070

Web:                www.coworkforce.com/lmi

Survey OF PUEBLO COUNTY Shows SIGNIFICANTLY More
JOB VACANCIES Than A Year Ago

Survey shows over 1500 job openings, more than twice as many from a year ago

(Denver)  There were more vacancies in Pueblo County compared to a year ago according to the findings of a new Job Vacancy Survey released by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.  An estimated 1,536 jobs were open for immediate hire in Pueblo County between February 28 and March 8, 2006.  At the same time last year, 601 vacancies were estimated.  The regional unemployment rate also declined from 7.5 percent to 6.1 percent in the same time period.

“The increase in vacancies along with the increase in job growth and the drop in the region’s unemployment rate is good news for the region.  It further confirms the on-going economic recovery in the Colorado labor market,” says Department of Labor and Employment Executive Director Rick Grice.

A total of 1,036 employers representing 61percent of the county’s total employment were surveyed to produce this snapshot of the job market.  Of the 12 groups of sectors surveyed, Healthcare and Social Assistance offered the highest number of job opportunities with 281 estimated vacancies, followed by Leisure and Hospitality (273); Trade, Transportation and Utilities (271); and Professional and Business Services (241).

Small to Mid-size employers account for almost 64 percent of the estimated vacancies while large employers account for 21 percent.  Government has about 15 percent of the estimated vacancies.

This latest Job Vacancy Survey for Pueblo County is now available online at http://www.coworkforce.com/lmi/WRA/home.htm.  The Executive Summary of the survey is provided below.

About the winter 2006 Pueblo County Job Vacancy Survey

The winter 2006 Pueblo County Job Vacancy Survey was conducted from February 28th through March 8th, 2006. The goal of the survey is to provide current information on the demand for workers.  This information can serve as input into the decision making process for employers, job seekers, economic developers, educators, and workforce centers in the region.

Over the survey period, all large and government employers as well as a random sample of private employers with five or more employees were contacted.  Employers were asked if they were actively hiring, and the number of positions they were seeking to fill.

The Pueblo County Job Vacancy Survey is conducted twice a year to provide frequent and useful analysis of the demand for labor.  Previous surveys collected occupational and wage information. Beginning with this survey, the Job Vacancy Survey will not be reporting at this level of detail but will still give the estimate of total job vacancies in the region to the same degree of accuracy as before, only faster.

A total of 1,036 employers, representing 61 percent of the region’s total employment responded to the survey. Of these, 47 are government agencies, 22 are large employers and 967 are small to mid-size employers. The survey has a response rate of 84 percent. The margin of sampling error for the overall vacancy estimate is plus or minus 0.14 percent.

Major Findings of the Survey:

§ An estimated 1,536 jobs were available for hire during the survey period, more than double the 601 vacancies found a year ago.

§ Health care and social assistance has the highest number of estimated vacancies (281), followed by leisure and hospitality (273) and trade, transportation and utilities (271).

§ All groups of super sectors report more vacancies in this survey than a year ago.

§ Small to mid-size companies provide the most vacancies with 986. However, since there are more small to mid-size firms, there are actually fewer vacancies per employer compared to large employers and government entities.

§ There are almost 15 vacancies per large private company and 5 openings per government employer compared to an average of one vacancy per employer for small to mid-size firms.

§ Twenty-four percent of surveyed employers reported at least one job vacancy.

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