TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATION & PUBLIC UTILITIES

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(40 - 49)

Employment change from last quarter	+ 0.7
Employment change from year ago	+ 2.0
Wage change from year ago	+ 7.1

QUARTERLY

Employment in TCPU showed minor increases up 0.7% adding 803. Sector activity was mixed. Air Transportation (45) reported substantial gains up 1274 employees. Seasonal hiring for Christmas package delivery in addition to airline staffing for holiday travels accounted for this sector gain. Communication (48) added 361 employees. Gains were strongest in cable television service but most likely the result of counting changes rather than actual employment gains. Local Transportation (41) seasonally expanded adding 110 employees due to demand for transport to ski areas occurring in the late part of the quarter. Trucking-Warehousing lost 486 employees as summer moving service need declined. Electric-Gas-Sanitation Services (49) dropped 308 employees. Project cutbacks in sanitation services accounted for most of the loss.


ANNUAL

Annually TCPU gained 2225 employees rising 2%. Air Transportation (45), up 6310 employees over a year ago, reflected the largest gain. SIC changes in January from Trucking-Warehousing (42) moved about 5500 employees. into Air Transportation. Expansions in air service in El Paso county also enhanced sector growth. Trucking-Warehousing subsequently shows a loss of 5310 employees. Some growth over the year has mitigated losses associated with the SIC change. Communication (48) reported an increase of 1531. Growth has been concentrated in cable and pay television. Local Transportation (41) added 240 employees due to expansion of transport service to gambling and ski areas and contract bussing for schools. Electric-Gas-Sanitation Services (49) dropped 723 employees. Cutbacks at a large clean-up project caused the loss.


Colorado Employment and Wages (ES202) Fourth Quarter 1996