The Colorado Sun — tamara@coloradosun.com
Tech+Business+Economy
Colorado’s COVID rent-assistance program may have paid up to $4.4 million in error, audit finds
The popular state renter relief program paid landlords rent for tenants. But state auditors found that errors led to overpayments and less oversight as tenants weren’t notified that their rent had been paid.
What’s Working: Colorado is in economically better shape than most states, but still down 77,900 jobs from before COVID
Plus: State’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.6%, Colorado quits more than the rest of the U.S. and where the missing workers went.
What’s Working: People are quitting their jobs in record numbers. Here’s what happened in Colorado.
The JOLTS data will soon go local so we take a look at what early data shows about the state’s workforce. Plus: Jobless updates, overpayment appeals and changing wages.
What’s Working: Colorado’s labor force is missing older adults, parents of young kids and international workers
Plus: Amazon’s work conditions become a target for another Colorado worker lawsuit, unemployment claims drop and other COVID relief.
Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans qualify for a $50 broadband internet credit. So why aren’t they seizing it?
Digital divide advocates had hoped more participants would be using the Emergency Broadband Benefit by now. There’s still 81% of the funds remaining.
Where have Colorado’s workers gone? Some say: “We’re still here. Hire us!”
The labor market continues to get even more complex as employers and workers recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Data shows fewer workers are out there though. So, where did they go?
What’s Working: Need a job? Tech companies are hiring in Colorado as a pre-pandemic labor crunch continues
When labor’s tight, wages go up and that’s happening in tech. Also: Denver Startup Week begins Monday and there’s a job fair; plus: unemployment updates, personal labor-shortage stories and more.
Colorado’s free rent program has paid out 15.2% of its available federal funds
Six months into the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, payments are speeding up, but only a sliver of the $690 million available has been tapped and people still are waiting for help.
What’s Working: The Colorado disconnect continues between employers and the unemployed
Plus: Amazon’s Thornton warehouse is building its own job-training career program, unemployment appeals and small business updates.
A long-languishing Pueblo subdivision could become one of Colorado’s largest zero-energy communities
The environmentally friendly homes would make up just a tiny portion of the North Vista Highlands neighborhood. Developers think they will lure buyers looking for solar-ready homes built from nontoxic materials.
What’s Working: 24,000 unemployed Coloradans must pay back pandemic jobless benefits
Plus: More people are returning to work as the state’s unemployment rate drops to 5.9%. But what happened to all the workers?
What’s Working: As Colorado’s labor shortage blame game continues, most unemployed workers are actually back at work
Plus: A busy week at the unemployment office despite federal benefits expiring, who’s hiring and is Amazon really offering to pay for college?
Housing demand is greater than ever but Colorado is building fewer homes than expected. Here’s why.
A pre-pandemic construction labor shortage intensified last year despite a strong real estate market. There’s just not enough workers to build what was planned. The industry is focused on attracting newcomers.
What’s Working: How much federal COVID relief went to unemployed Coloradans?
It's way more than $7.9 billion. Plus: Trust fund improprieties; mixed earner mistakes and construction jobs are plentiful -- and perks are getting better.
Colorado’s COVID rent-assistance program is now paying out five times more following changes
Local governments were faster at distributing federal dollars than the state. With the national eviction moratorium over, federal and state improvements have sped up rent payments.
What’s Working: There are more job openings than Coloradans on unemployment. Matchmaking isn’t easy.
As pandemic unemployment comes to an end next week, some struggle to find a job or fear catching COVID-19. Plus: Businesses try to hire, wages are rising and what happened when some states ended federal benefits early?
Colorado has paid out just 7.4% of its federal rent-assistance funds
The Department of Local Affairs, which oversees the rental housing assistance program, switched vendors to speed up pandemic payments.
12 charts that tell you everything you need to know about Colorado’s Paycheck Protection loans
More than half of Colorado’s $15.1 billion Paycheck Protection loans have been forgiven
What’s Working: It’s a worker’s labor market in Colorado as wages rise
One Colorado Springs nonprofit dental organization that raised wages $5 to $10 an hour wonders why job applicants aren’t showing up for interviews, the labor department adds MFA, who’s hiring and more.
At least 87,000 Coloradans will lose all pandemic unemployment benefits in two weeks
Federal programs that provided aid to gig workers and those who’ve exhausted regular unemployment end Sept. 4. So does the $300 weekly pandemic bonus.
