Retail experienced one of its slowest fourth quarters in five years. Employment rose only 1% adding 3846 employees. Seasonal Christmas hiring added 4294 employees to General Merchandise (53) and 3389 to Misc Retail (59). Increases in General Merchandise were strongest in Department Stores (531). Increases in Misc Retail were strongest in Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945). Furniture Stores (57) and Apparel & Accessories (56) also seasonally increased. Furniture stores added 1466 employees with over 1000 occurring in Radio, Television, Consumer Electronics & Music Stores (573). Growth in Apparel & Accessories, up 1030, was a little slow due to cutbacks in Shoe Stores (566) and Women's Accessory & Specialty Stores (563). Eating & Drinking (58) dropped 5934 employees. Loses occurring in the Balance of State remain typical for this time of year following the end of the tourist season. The Metro area, however, experienced atypical losses due to cutbacks, closures and a new seasonal decline related to the end of the baseball season.
ANNUAL
The Retail industry added 15,683 employees over last year growing 4.4%. Eating & Drinking (58) incurred the largest employment gain up 6386. Gains, however, slipped due to an abnormal drop in Metro Denver employment occurring this quarter. Misc Retail (59) reflected the second largest increase up 3781 employees. Nonstore Retailers (596) and Misc Shopping Goods Stores (594) each added about 1300 to the sector. Gains in Nonstore Retailers occurred in Direct Selling Establishments (5963) which contains some telemarketing and Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961). Gains in Misc Shopping Goods Stores were found in Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945) due to heavier than usual Christmas staffing, and ski season expansions in Sporting Goods Stores (5941). Apparel & Accessories (56) was the only sector to decline over the year losing 526 employees. The closure March 1995 of a large chain of womens clothing stores and cutbacks in a number of shoe stores generated most of the sector loss.
Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) Fourth Quarter 1995
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