As Labor Day creeps closer, unemployed workers in Colorado are probably already mourning the coming loss of federal benefits on Sept. 4. Some don’t want to believe it’s happening, Erin Joy Swank said Friday. She’s one of the moderators of the private Facebook group for unemployed Coloradans that has been tirelessly trying to steer people […]
What's Working
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
What’s Working: People say they want to work from home, but they’re returning to the office in droves
As large swaths of the office-worker community went remote during COVID and showed that it could work, many want to keep it that way, including folks who took the latest What’s Working survey on working from home. Most respondents did at one time or another during the pandemic (73.7%) and still do (63.2%). Increased productivity […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: To argue against Colorado’s new Equal Pay Act is to argue against market transparency
There’s been a lot of hoopla over the past few weeks about news that a few large national employers advertised to prospective employees that they could work from home, anywhere in the country, except in Colorado. These companies are refusing to comply with Colorado law requiring employers to include salary ranges in job postings, a […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Growth, News
What’s Working: Officials expect Colorado to have a full GDP recovery this year
New economic data has economists concluding that Colorado is now in full recovery. New businesses? Filings made record gains in the first and second quarter this year, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Labor force participation rate? Colorado had the third-highest in the nation. And our productivity? The state’s Gross Domestic Product growth rate […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Housing, News
What’s Working: Desperate times for employers as 134,000 Coloradans still are on federal unemployment
Located not far from the Telluride Ski Resort gondola, The Alpinist and The Goat needs help. Preferably, two waiters, a dishwasher and a prep cook. The downtown Telluride fondue restaurant pays wait staff a little more than $12 an hour, which is higher than the state’s $9.30 an hour for tipped employees. The days are […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
What’s Working: Coloradans talk about worker shortages and livable wages
There’s no majority of folks who say there is — or isn’t — a labor shortage in Colorado, at least according to the What’s Working unscientific reader poll. Here are the results to the question “Is there a labor shortage?” Yes: 22.1% No: 37.7% It’s complicated: 40.3% It’s definitely a sore spot for many. Earlier […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News, Technology
What’s Working: Guild Education’s latest $150 million round means more Colorado jobs
One of the fastest growing technology companies in Denver just got another burst of funding of $150 million in venture capital this week. Guild Education, which helps large employers offer education as an employee perk, will use the money to double its size. What that really means is more jobs, said Rachel Carlson, Guild’s co-founder […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
What’s Working: Seasonal hiring sputtering for restaurants, resorts across Colorado
It’s opening weekend for Colorado businesses that hire seasonal summer workers. But many industries that do are still in desperate need of help, including construction companies, hotels and, especially, restaurants. Bob Kato, who operates two restaurants in Frisco, shared his dire-straits details with me for a story published earlier this week. He still needed four […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
What’s Working: More Coloradans are working or looking for work now than before the pandemic
Signs of a strong job recovery in Colorado were evident in new data that shows more Coloradans were working or were looking for a job in April than before the pandemic. According to state Department of Labor and Employment officials, there were nearly 3.2 million Coloradans participating in the labor force in April, compared with […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
What’s Working: Labor shortage or meager pay? The Colorado debate has begun.
Who isn’t hiring? A number of national companies announced they need more help this week and are increasing hourly pay for new hires, including Amazon, which is looking to hire 3,000 more people in Denver at $17 an hour. McDonald’s is another, offering $13 per hour at company-owned stores, and there’s also Chipotle, which is […]