Colorado gained 500 jobs in September, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which published its first state job update since the U.S. government reopened last month.
The state’s private sector lost 200 jobs in September, while the government added 700 jobs, the data show. Monthly jobs numbers are early estimates and are revised as more information comes in.
Meanwhile, according to a separate survey, the state’s unemployment rate declined slightly to 4.1 percent, compared to the national rate which rose slightly to 4.4 percent in September. Colorado’s unemployment rate was stuck above the U.S. rate for more than a year before the trend reversed this summer.
Monthly jobs data isn’t a perfect snapshot of the labor market. The data for both Colorado and the nation has been subject to unusually large revisions for the past year. In September, the federal agency estimated that Colorado added 51,000 fewer jobs than previously reported during the 12-month period ended in March. The country overall created 911,000 fewer jobs than previously thought in the largest revision in U.S. history.
The revisions themselves are preliminary and will be adjusted again before being finalized.
