Aging parents who care for adult children with intellectual and developmental disabilities are struggling to find room in day programs as a staffing crisis results in cut hours, long waitlists
workforce
Posted inBusiness
What’s Working: Prepare for some new costs of being employed in 2023 in Colorado
Paid leave and a higher unemployment insurance expense, as well as higher minimum wages are among policies that take effect Jan. 1.
Posted inNews
How a Colorado McDonald’s weathered the Great Resignation with fiesta-themed birthday parties
Tucked in the corner of Longmont, the classic yellow sign seems like any other McDonald’s. The waft of french fries, bustling employees and children running for the playpen. But step inside, and you’ll be greeted with fiesta decorations and birthday cakes. The so-called Great Resignation took a toll on fast-food restaurants all over Colorado, and […]
Posted inEducation, Equity, News
Skilled workers are needed in the San Luis Valley. A new college program could be an answer.
Codi Fonk loves watching the machines he helps design come to life. Fonk, 23, is an apprentice engineer at Formation Ag in the San Luis Valley, where he designs and tests components for massive equipment used in hemp farming. “It’s a dream job,” Fonk said. “I love what I do.” He considers himself lucky: He […]
Posted inEconomy, News
Colorado had the nation’s highest rate of layoffs and job separations in August
As the summer wound down and large numbers of Coloradans on pandemic unemployment applied for new jobs, another group of workers lost theirs — at the highest rates nationwide. New federal labor data showing how states fared put Colorado at the top of the list of states with the highest rates of layoffs and job […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Colorado kids are floundering in math, a “crisis” that may add up to trouble for tomorrow’s workforce
Colorado students tumbled further behind in math as the pandemic closed schools and learning went largely virtual, according to a new analysis of this year’s state assessments results. A new report from the Keystone Policy Center, a nonprofit research group, found that math test scores plummeted for many students across the state, falling at an […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Equity, Growth, News, Technology
Where have Colorado’s workers gone? Some say: “We’re still here. Hire us!”
THORNTON — Ground zero for what’s happening to Colorado’s labor market may as well be right here, in Amazon’s 2.4 million-square-foot warehouse where employees work alongside orange 320-pound robots. The mechanical creatures look like massive robotic vacuum cleaners. But instead of lifting dirt, each robot can lift yellow storage pods filled with random products and […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Housing, News
Thousands of Coloradans struggling to pay rent asked the state for help. $6.5 million later, phones are still ringing.
As the pandemic began affecting livelihoods last year, Stephanie Maney would sometimes catch a glimpse of her phone number on TV news broadcasts, news stories or communication from the state’s housing division or Gov. Jared Polis’ office. Sometimes it was 303-864-7852. Other times 303-864-7810. Sometimes both. She was the only person answering calls from Coloradans […]
Posted inColoradans, Economy, Education, News
UNC program prepares students with intellectual, developmental disabilities for competitive jobs
GREELEY — Corey Pierce was strolling through McKee Hall one day in the fall of 2019 when he came across a group of students standing polished in suits and dresses, almost as if they were on their way to prom. The students, however, had donned their formal attire for mock job interviews. For Pierce, director […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News
What’s Working: Why nearly 100,000 out-of-work Coloradans were excluded from an unemployment benefit that is now ending early
Several questions came in this week asking about why a program offering an extra 13 weeks of unemployment benefits is ending four weeks early. Stop reading if you’re on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) because this doesn’t impact you (although, don’t forget, PUA benefits end Dec. 26). But read on if you’re on regular unemployment, Pandemic […]