Employment in the Mining industry rose for the second consecutive quarter adding 258 for a gain of 2.0%. Not since 1997 have we seen employment increases of this magnitude and for consecutive quarters. Increased import prices and low reserves of oil and gas have sparked drilling activity in Colorado, so that employment in Oil & Gas Extraction (13) has risen by 262. Most of the increase occurred in Oil & Gas Field Services due to contracted drilling and other oil and gas services. Mining & Quarry Nonmetal (14) employment grew by 106. Its largest expanding subsector was Sand & Gravel up 72. Gains were seasonal resulting from summer construction demand. Chemical & Fertilizer Mineral Mining added 31 due to the long-term expansion of a mining and milling operation. Dimension Stone reflected an increase of 19 with growth occurring mid-second quarter as one employer resolved a labor problem. Coal Mining (12) employment remained stable moving up by one. Metal Mining (10) was the only sector to decline losing 110 employees. Layoffs at a large mine in Ferroalloy Ores brought about the loss.
ANNUAL
For the first time in over two years the Mining industry has reported an annual gain. Employment levels at 13,117 are up 2.7% over third quarter a year ago having added 341. The strongest sector gain occurred in Oil & Gas Extraction (13). Employment rose by 875 with most of the gain in Oil & Gas Field Services. Contracted drilling and services related to maintaining existing operations accounted for the increase. Employment in Mining & Quarry Nonmetal (14) rose by 123. One fourth of the increase resulted from the expansion this quarter of a mine in Chemical & Fertilizer Mineral Mining. Dimension Stone grew by 21 and Sand & Gravel grew by 22 due to increased demand. Large losses were encountered in Metal Mining (10), which fell by 531 employees. Every subsector declined with Ferroalloy Ores suffering the largest loss down 276 and Gold & Silver Ores down 90. Mine layoffs caused the losses in Ferroalloy Ores and corporate downsizing along with a mine closure caused Gold & Silver losses. Coal Mining (12) fell by 125. Losses were a mix of corporate downsizing and mine cutbacks.
Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) Third Quarter 2000
