MINING

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(10 - 14)

Employment change from last quarter	- 1.6
Employment change from year ago	- 3.9
Wage change from year ago	- 8.1

QUARTERLY

Mining employment dropped from last quarter by 1.6% losing 221 employees. SIC changes into the industry did little to negate the loss of mining activity. Despite a gain of more than 250 employees from SIC changes Oil & Gas Extraction (13) reported a loss of 121 employees. Subsector activity was mixed with operating Oil & Gas Properties adding 112 due to SIC changes into the subsector and large losses of 223 in Oil & Gas Field Services. Losses in Oil & Gas Field Services were supported by SIC changes out of the sector covering about 70 and declining work demand. Employment in Metal Mining (10) dropped by 66 employees. Corporate cutbacks in Gold Ores, corporate restructuring moving about 15 from Copper Ores to Coal Mining and small cutbacks in other sectors caused the loss. Mining & Quarry Nonmetal (14) lost 56 employees. Losses were seasonal but offset by SIC changes from Wholesale. Coal Mining (12) was the only sector to add employees over the quarter growing by 22. Corporate closures were offset by a short term mining project and one SIC change covering about 15 employees.
ANNUAL

Employment in the Mining industry slackened over the year falling 3.9% losing 540 employees. Of note, was the large decline in Oil & Gas Extraction (13) down 594 employees from the same time a year ago. All of the decline occurred in the Oil & Gas Field Services subsector. Falling gas and oil prices have greatly lessened services and curtailed drilling projects occurring in Colorado. Metal Mining (10) suffered an annual employment loss of 169. The bulk of the loss took place over the year in Gold Ores due to corporate downsizing. Two sectors gained employment, Mining & Quarry Nonmetal (14) up 144 and Coal Mining (12) up 80. Increases in Mining & Quarry Nonmetal were strongest in Sand & Gravel, which added 120 employees due to increased demand from the construction industry. Crushed & Broken Stone added 63 employees with most of its gain from SIC changes moving here from Wholesale. Coal Mining gained 80 employees. A large project beginning in third quarter of 1998 and peaking this quarter generated most of the employment gain in this sector.


1998 SIC CHANGES

Mining gained approximately 306 employees and $2,319,670 in quarterly payroll as a result of reclassification.

Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) First Quarter 1999