Mining employment fell 1.6% declining by 205 employees from the previous quarter. Significant losses occurred in Metal Mining (10), which dropped by 140 employees. Losses were felt in almost every subsector. Cutbacks and the relocation to other states of corporate office staff caused some of the loss. Mine closures and cutbacks at the mines contributed to the remainder of the sector decline. Employment in Mining & Quarry Nonmetal (14) fell by 144. Loses were predictably seasonal with 112 employees dropping from the operation of sand & gravel pits due to cold weather production slowing. Employment also seasonally declined in the mining of dimension stone, which includes flagstone and sandstone. Dimension Stone fell by 41. Coal Mining (12) lost 80 employees over the quarter. Closure of one mine, cutbacks at another, the transfer of about 15 to a holding company and completion of a mine service project accounted for sector losses. Oil & Gas Extraction (13) gained employees adding 158. SIC changes of about 100 into the operation of oil & gas properties and some drilling projects caused the increase.
ANNUAL
Annually, employment in the Mining industry fell 6.4% from a year ago losing 857 employees. Oil & Gas Extraction (13) reported the largest drop over the year, down 433 employees. Sizable losses in second quarter of 1999 due to corporate office closures and relocations drove the downfall. Metal Mining (10) also suffered strong losses down 374 employees. Corporate downsizing and mine closures permeated the subsectors. Lead & Zinc Ores and Gold & Silver Ores each lost more than 100 employees the result, respectively, of a mine closure and corporate cutbacks. Employment in Coal Mining (12) dropped by 191. Corporate layoffs along with mine staff layoffs and the closing of one mine over the course of the year contributed to the decline. Mining & Quarry Nonmetal (14) was the only sector to gain employees annually adding 140. Forty-three employees were added to Sand & Gravel as a result of high demand necessitating increased gravel pit operations. Dimension Stone added 48 employees and Crushed & Broken Stone added 34. Surging construction activity has impacted all subsectors of Mining & Quarry Nonmetal. 1999 SIC CHANGES Mining gained approximately 65 employees and $559,797 in quarterly payroll as a result of reclassification. Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) First Quarter 2000
