GOVERNMENT

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Employment change from last quarter	- 3.1
Employment change from year ago	+ 2.5
Wage change from year ago	+ 5.1

QUARTERLY

Government employment slipped this quarter dropping 3.1% losing 9639 employees. Losses are typical during this quarter due to school closures for the summer. Local government, which covers the largest number of schools, reported an employment loss of 10,453. Seasonal losses were offset by seasonal gains in Recreation and General Government as many municipalities increased staff for summer recreation and maintenance activities. Recreation employment increased by more than 800 and General Government rose by more than 2600. Federal government employment added 598 over last quarter. Most gains were seasonal related to summer staffing for national parks and the Bureau of Land Management. About 60 were added for a project with the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. State government added 216 employees over the quarter. Losses of almost 600 in schools were offset by increases in prisons in Pueblo, Fremont and Denver counties and for the Colorado State Fair.

ANNUAL

Annually, Government employment rose 2.5% adding 7267 employees. The bulk of the employment along with the bulk of the annual gain occurred in Local Government. Local government advanced by 5403 employees. Almost half of the gain or 2630 employees were hired for work in schools. About 1400 were added to the payroll of municipalities, mainly outside the Metro area. Health and hospitals gained about 600 with most of the growth in Denver and El Paso counties. State government reported an increase of 1535. Prison expansions and increased school staffing added more than 700 employees apiece to State employment. Despite over-the-year losses of 170 due to the closing of Fitzsimmons, cutbacks at the VA Medical Center in Grand Junction, Department of Defense cutbacks in Denver and El Paso counties, Federal government employment rose by 329. An increase in postal service employment, up 731, a short term rise in employment at the United States Air Force Academy and Bureau of Census growth supported the overall increase in Federal government employment.

Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) Third Quarter 1998