Jefferson County’s unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent, one of the lowest rates in the state next to Boulder and Douglas counties, according to findings from the Jeffco Economic Development Corporation.
Numbers released by Jeffco EDC from their 2013 year-end report revealed Jeffco to be under the national average unemployment rate of 6.7 percent. But even the nation’s unemployment rate fell steadily by 1.2 percent last year, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said.
Presently the county’s labor force is at 308,008 with the health care and social services industries leading the way with 30,110 jobs, a Colorado Department of Labor and Employment quarterly report states. Primary jobs in retail, food and hospitality are on the rise and have already surpassed other industries such as education and public administration.
Aerospace, aviation, bioscience and renewable energy saw figures in the negatives relating to either company or employment growth. Jeffco EDC reported a -18.8 percent employment growth rate from 2007 to 2012 in the aerospace divisions with zero company growth. The recession had a lot to do with those negatives, according to Michelle Claymore, vice president for Jeffco EDC.
“I have a feeling that when the new numbers start getting published that you’re going to start seeing the recovery within these,” Claymore said.
Renewable energy saw a -53.30 percent in company growth from 2007 to 2012 due to loss of capital and federal tax credits.
“We lost a lot of our renewable energy companies as a result of some consolidation within the industry,” she said.
Jeffco retail sales totaled $11.3 million for 2013, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue.
County commissioners would like to see an increase in not only retail sales but also a more defined business plan that focuses on preserving zoned industry property along with land use plans to help shape where the county is going in terms of economy.
“I’m looking for people in Jefferson County to have careers not just jobs,” Commissioner Casey Tighe said.
