The recent release of BLS data shows that Colorado employment increased by 3,900 in January. That is the good news.

At the same time, there are clouds on the horizon! The benchmark revisions were reported for the years 2020 to 2024. The changes for 2023 and 2024 were more significant. They show that Colorado is experiencing a slowdown in the labor market. Employment for 2024 increased by 33,500. A revised outlook for 2025 shows an increase in employment of 31,000.

For details, the most recent economic update focuses on the benchmark updates. It can be found at https://cber.co/economic-updates/. In about two weeks, the BLS will release data for February. That report will focus more on 2025.

Given the financial challenges facing the state legislature, it would be interesting to look at their quarterly economic updates of the state the Colorado Legislative Council and the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting. The report shows the complexity of running the state government and understanding its economy.

Best wishes.

Gary Horvath