La Plata County’s jobless rate fell to 5.2 percent in August, more than 1 percentage point lower than its year-ago 6.3 percent rate.
Unemployment for the Durango Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is made up of La Plata County, is correlating what is happening at the state level.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in August the unemployment rate for the state of Colorado was 7 percent, down 1 percentage point from the August 2012 rate. It is down from July’s 7.1 percent rate.
The state and county rates compare favorably with the national jobless rate, which was 7.3 percent in August.
The improving jobless numbers suggest that more workers are re-entering the workforce. Colorado-based Business and Economic Research released information showing the state has added about 58,500 jobs since this time last year.
Tim Walsworth, executive director of Durango’s Business Improvement District, mainly uses sales-tax information to measure the health of the city’s economy. In August 2012, the city of Durango collected $1,204,255 in sales-tax revenue. A year later, the city collected $1,259,954 – a 4.6 percent increase.
“All the indicators for our overall economy so far have been and continue to be positive,” he said. “Sales-tax collections are consistently up compared to a year ago.”
The extra tax revenue helps the city create more jobs, too. When more taxes are being collected by the city, more money is available to help create new jobs, Walsworth said.
Also, more construction permits and new housing projects have been underway in the area, all of which point to a healthy economy, he said.
Walsworth said the local economy is not improving drastically, but slight improvements are evident.
Additionally, the upcoming holiday season will open up more part-time, seasonal jobs.
Amber Tracy, owner of Animas Trading Co. on Main Avenue, is expecting to hire holiday help.
Tracy said she tries to have experienced staff in reserve to work during the busy summer and holiday seasons. She tries to arrange having at least one to two seasonal employees to help during the Christmas season.
Eric Kiesel, owner of Half Price Tees, also has seasonal employees he keeps in reserve for busy seasons. Because he runs a tourist-based shop, his need for staff usually is higher in the summer.
He has seen changes in the economy though, with sales this summer being slightly better than last summer.
“I think retail is trending up slowly,” Kiesel said. “People are more willing to open up their wallets.”
Jack Llewellyn, executive director of the Durango Chamber of Commerce, also sees improvements in construction hiring.
He said construction is picking up locally, and with the addition of the two new hotel projects, more jobs have been created in the area.
“As long as we continue to diversify the economy, we will continue to see less peaks and valleys,” Llewellyn said.
He said the ups and downs will “smooth out.”
“When we do have an economic downturn, we won’t feel it as severely,” he said.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
