QUARTERLY Employment in the Mining industry dropped 1.5% from last quarter losing 198 employees. This is the fifth consecutive quarter of losses for the industry. The largest sector loss occurred in Oil & Gas Extraction (13) down 217 employees. While employment in the drilling sector remained fairly stable, corporate office closures occurred in establishments engaged in the production of oil & gas. Closures occurred in three major firms where some employees were laid off and some relocated to other areas of North America. Metal Mining (10) employment dropped by 68. Small cutbacks in a number of firms involved in gold mining created a loss of 25. Misc Metal Ores reported a loss of 33 due mainly to the closure of a mine. Mining & Quarry Nonmetal (14) reported positive changes adding 81 employees over the prior quarter. Strong construction activity necessitating sand and gravel for use in building projects pushed employment up by 64 in this sector. Increase quarrying activity for dimension stone added 34 employees. Employment in Coal Mining (12) barely changed rising by only 6. ANNUAL Mining employment fell 9.5% over third quarter a year ago losing 1345 workers. This is the largest annual decline since first quarter 1996. Losses were driven by a decline of 1193 employees Oil & Gas Extraction (13). Four major corporations restructured offices laying off some and moving some to new out-of-state locations creating most of the 640 employee loss in the operation of oil & gas properties. Oil & Gas Field Services declined by 540 as many contracted well service projects were completed. Metal Mining (10) lost 302 employees. All subsectors declined over a year ago. Gold & Silver Ores experienced the largest drop down 86 employees due to corporate restructuring. Mine closures affected the loss of 69 in Lead & Zinc Ores, 44 in Ferroalloy Ores and 39 in Misc Metal Ores. Coal Mining (12) declined by 74 also due to corporate restructuring. On the brighter side, the health of the construction industry has increased demand for construction materials causing Mining & Quarry Nonmetals (14) to add 223. The preparation of sand and gravel for construction use added 186 workers.
Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) Third Quarter 1999
