Colorado's improving jobs picture is driven by the hospitality sector

Colorado's 2.5% unemployment rate at the start of 2020 tied for fourth lowest in the nation. In the first month of 2021, it is the 15th-highest at 6.6%, according to the latest numbers from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment

Driving the news: Of the 32,000 new jobs created to start the year, two-thirds came from the hospitality and leisure sectors, the Denver Business Journal reports.

• The drop comes as Colorado eases capacity restrictions on restaurants and venues and it extends a continual decrease since April 2020.

What they're saying: "Colorado’s unemployment rate in 2020 is better than it was in the past two recessions," Ryan Gedney, a senior labor economist told reporters Monday.

The big picture: Colorado was among the states with the strictest pandemic-related shutdowns last year. Those moves likely saved lives, but crippled the state's strong labor market as businesses were forced to close.

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