TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATION& PUBLIC UTILITIES
(40 - 49)
Employment change from last quarter
- 1.8
Employment change from year ago
+ 3.3
Wage change from year ago
- 2.1
QUARTERLY
TCPU reported a decline in employment of 2590, the first loss since first quarter 1997. The employment decline was a drop of 1.8% from the previous quarter. Communication (48) suffered the largest loss down 1874 employees. Losses were impacted significantly by SIC changes. Telephone Communications dropped by 1687 employees. The great majority of the quarter loss resulted from SIC changes mandated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for about 1800 employees moving them to Services. Offsetting losses in the Communications sector were expansions in Telegraph & Other Message Communications, up 360. This subsector covers nonvocal message services such as electronic mail. Trucking-Warehousing (42) fell by 475 employees. Losses were seasonal. Electric-Gas-Sanitary Services (49) lost 419 employees. Twenty-four water districts and seven sanitation districts were reclassified to Local Government, accounting for more than half of the sector loss. Some layoffs in Gas Production & Distribution and Combination Electric & Gas & Other Utility Services also affected the decline. Contrary to most other sectors Local Transportation (41) reported a hefty gain of 341 employees for seasonal transport to ski areas.
ANNUAL
Employment in the TCPU industry rose 3.3% annually, adding 4462. Large gains in Air Transportation (45) up 2161 employees, and Communication (48) up 2024 drove the industry increase. Growth in Air Transportation follows significant growth experienced at Denver International Airport with employment for scheduled air transportation gaining 1883. Yearlong growth in Telegraph & Other Message Communications adding 1672 employees generated more than two thirds of the Communication increase. Employment gains in Telephone Communications were also strong with the subsector rising by 883 despite SIC changes purging about 1800. Trucking-Warehousing (42) reported an annual gain of 607 employees. About 500 were added to trucking and 100 to warehousing & storage. Electric-Gas-Sanitary Services (49) reported the largest decline from first quarter a year ago, dropping by 581 employees. Severe layoffs and out of state transfers by one employer in Gas Production & Distribution created a loss of 314. Ownership changes for a number of water districts from private to Local Government dropped employment by about 200. Although Sanitary Services grew by 76 about 70 employees were changed to Local Government.
1999 SIC CHANGES Due to reclassification this industry lost approximately 1119 employees and $21,501,473 in quarterly payroll.
Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) First Quarter 2000
