DENVER (KDVR) — Some of the latest unemployment numbers show Colorado is doing great when it comes to people returning to work. The state has some of the lowest unemployment levels in the country.
The unemployment rate in Colorado is 2.8%. That is much lower than the national unemployment rate, which is currently 3.4%
That is good news for Colorado in some cases, but there are still challenges.
Finding workers affects some businesses
The low unemployment rates in Colorado, some say, help prove the economy continues to bounce back strong in the state after the height of the pandemic.
That strength shows at Guard and Grace restaurant in downtown Denver, where there are lots of customers and plenty of workers.
“At Guard and Grace, we are pretty fortunate that we have robust clientele, so we are busy all the time, just about,” general manager Nikki Guard said.
Some businesses across the state, though, are having a hard time finding enough staff. But FOX31 was told finding good employees, in some respects, has always been a challenge.
“I don’t think that has ever changed in the industry. I think the challenge has always been looking for great people in the hospitality business,” Tag Restaurant Group CEO James Park said.
Park said he often finds great staff by actively recruiting.
Who is in Colorado’s worker pool?
There seems to be a big worker pool to pick from, and workers are able to find jobs quickly in some cases.
“Colorado has a younger demographic, a very diverse industry based on faster population growth than the U.S.,” said Ryan Gedney, principal economist for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
But there are still a lot of people who don’t want to return to a traditional workplace.
“I think that is one of the reluctant parts for the laborer to go back to a 9 to 5 job,” said Kishore Kulkarni, distinguished economics professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Meantime, Park, who oversees the Tag Group, said it will need even more workers as it plans to open even more restaurants in the future.