RETAIL TRADE

---

(52 - 59)

Employment change from last quarter	- 1.6
Employment change from year ago	+ 3.6
Wage change from year ago	+ 8.8

QUARTERLY

Employment in the Retail Trade industry seasonally declined over the quarter. Losses of 6534 employees, a drop of 1.6%, were typical following the end of the Christmas season. General Merchandise (53) adds many workers for the holiday season and subsequently lays them off in first quarter. This year the sector declined by 3501 employees, about half of the industry loss. Misc Retail (59) suffered the second greatest loss, down 1599 employees. Losses were consistent with those in previous years and also related to the end of the holiday season. Misc Retail includes stores that sell items such as cosmetics, seasonal items, picture frames, pets & pet supplies and telephones. Employment in Apparel & Accessories (56) seasonally declined by 1270. Eating & Drinking (58) added employment over the quarter gaining 936. Increases were seasonal and influenced by the ski season. Auto Dealers-Service Stations (55) expanded by 242. Overall the sector picked up about 725 employees from SIC changes, with a number of car parts houses reclassified from Wholesale. The gain was mitigated by cutbacks at service stations and tire stores. The recent opening of 4 hardware stores generated an increase of 64 employees in Building Materials-Garden (52).
ANNUAL
Retail Trade experienced a strong year adding 13,488 employees for a gain of 3.6%. Growth levels of this magnitude have not occurred since 1995. Except for Apparel & Accessories (56) all sectors of Retail Trade reported annual increases. Eating & Drinking (58) added the greatest number of employees up 4663. Almost 75% of this expansion occurred in Metro Denver. Auto Dealers-Service Stations (55) incurred the second largest increase up 1787 employees. Expansions in auto dealerships in second quarter 1998 and auto supply stores in third and fourth quarter of 1998 along with SIC changes of almost 200 into used car dealers generated the gain. Employment in Building Materials-Garden (52) rose by 1661. Five new home center super stores opened during the year contributing to the growth in this sector. Apparel & Accessories, the only sector to lose employment over the year, fell by 33. Seasonal fluctuations for back to school and Christmas permeate this sector, however, growth has not been prevalent. SIC changes of about 250 occurred, but displaced employment in the Balance of State where some establishments were recoded to Misc Retail (59).

1998 SIC CHANGES

Due to reclassification Retail Trade lost approximately 50 employees and $1,936,494 in quarterly payroll.

Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) First Quarter 1999