La Plata County’s labor force grew to its highest number in July as unemployment fell.

The county’s workforce (available workers) grew to more than 33,000 residents and the unemployment rate fell to 6.4 percent, a drop from 6.6 percent in June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the state. Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July was 8.5 percent.

The overall workforce size surpassed the county’s record of 32,900 workers, set in July 2008, said Roger Zalneraitis, director of The La Plata Economic Development Alliance.

More than 31,000 La Plata County residents are working. And 1,700 more residents were working in June than were the same month last year.

Zalneraitis called the news “extraordinary.”

In 2010, just 28,300 people in La Plata County had jobs.

It’s an increase of nearly 2,800 residents working year-over-year, Zalneraitis said.

“This was not only the highest increase among any county in the state for the second month in a row,” Zalneraitis said, “we also saw a larger increase of employed residents than any metropolitan region (in Colorado), as well.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t track employment by industry for the county, so local employment and economic-development officials were unable to say which sectors are responsible for the area’s job growth. But statewide, hospitality and leisure, professional and technical services and education were areas creating the most new jobs, officials said.

“All of those are relatively large components of our local economy, so that may be the reason that we are seeing good job growth here,” Zalneraitis said.

Cloe Weibe, regional supervisor for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment concurred, saying those sectors were likely fueling the latest employment news. But a number of other factors also could be playing a role.

The county boasts a diverse base of worker skill sets and employers, she said. And more locals are reinventing themselves and finding new ways to use their skills.

“It’s amazing how many transferable skills individuals have,” she said.

Managers and company owners also are doing their part by stretching financially to keep more employees on the job. And it doesn’t hurt that residents here are driven, she said.

“People here are flexible, and they want to work,” Weibe said.

hscofield@durangoherald.com