News - Local
Unemployment soars in Southern Colorado
Posted: Mar 10, 2010 10:00 AM by Bea Karnes, News First 5
Updated: Mar 10, 2010 10:00 AM
The unemployment rate soared in January in El Paso and Pueblo counties, according to figures released Wednesday by the Colorado Department of Labor.
El Paso County has an unemployment rate of 8.9-percent, while Pueblo County's is 9.5-percent.
The figures are not seasonally adjusted, so a spike from December to January reflects layoffs of Christmas-seasonal workers. However, January's unemployment rate is higher than the same month a year ago when the recession was in full-swing.
The labor force has fallen in both cities, indicating that thousands of people have given up trying to find work.
Here are the latest unemployment figures:
El Paso County: Jan. 2010--8.9%; Dec. 2009-- 7.9%; Jan. 2009--8.3%
Pueblo County: Jan. 2010--9.2%; Dec. 2009--8.4%; Jan. 2009--8.7%
Click here to view the full report.
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