Colorado Jobs and Labor Force Update – April 2025 Update

May 21, 2025

During April, Colorado gained 8,400 total nonfarm jobs. The state’s private sector increased by 6,900 jobs, while the government sector increased by 1,500 jobs.

The state’s unemployment rate remained at 4.8% in April; this marks the second consecutive month with this rate. This unemployment rate is also the highest it has been since September 2021, when it was 4.9%, and 0.7 of a percentage point above the national rate of 4.2%.i Historically, Colorado’s unemployment level has usually sat below the national average. This difference represents a notable shift in the state’s labor market trends.

The mining and logging industry is the only one that did not experience any changes in its employment levels during the month of April. Since the beginning of 2020, employment in this industry has declined by 4,900 jobs.

The state’s construction industry grew by 400 jobs in April. Manufacturing employment declined by 800 jobs last month and the state’s leisure and hospitality sector grew by 4,300 jobs.

Key Findings—Colorado April 2025 Employment Data

According to the BLS survey of establishments (CES), Colorado’s employment-to-population ratio has not exceeded its pre-pandemic level since December 2024.

Based on the BLS survey of households (LAUS), which captures both traditional jobs and self-employment, Colorado has never recovered to its pre-pandemic employment-to-population ratio.

A Deeper Dive into Colorado Industries (BLS CES Survey)

Employers gained a net total of 8,400 jobs in April. Private employment rose by 6,900 while public employment increased by 1,500. Since last April, public employment grew by 14,200 jobs while private employment only increased by 9,000 jobs. State government employment saw the most growth over the past year with 8,900 new jobs outpacing both local and federal government employment growth during that time.

• The trade, transportation, and utilities sector gained 800 jobs last month.
•  Colorado’s professional and business services sector lost 2,600 jobs. Since January 2020, however, this sector has gained 46,200 jobs.
• Employment in Colorado’s education and health services sector grew by 4,800 in April.
• The state’s mining and logging sector did not add or lose jobs in April. Meanwhile, the construction industry added 400 jobs during this time.

The pandemic caused a major shock to the composition of Colorado’s job market in early 2020 and may have induced some structural changes in the long run.

Since January 2020, employment in the mining and logging sector has fallen by 18.28%. This is likely the result of a combination of global trends and state policy.

Colorado Labor Force Update

Colorado’s LFPR (labor force participation rate) remained steady at 67.8% in April. The national LFPR for the month of April was 62.6%.