New Jobs, Higher Standard in Colorado

Things are looking up in Colorado.  More people are finding work, including in fields that continue to slump in much of the country.  Just from April to May, employers in Colorado added 4,200 jobs.  The state government was responsible for 900 of them.

Unfortunately, workers in Colorado are working more hours and getting paid less.  Their average week increased from 34.8 to 35.1 hours of labor a week while their average hourly earnings decreased from $23.97 to $23.88.

There was a reemergence of  work in construction and trade, transportation and utilities.  The largest job gains were in education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation and utilities.

Despite the increase of work available in construction, it continues to be hard to find work in construction as the economy begins to recover.  But the state is trying to emphasize the continued importance of safety in the workplace no matter what difficult economic restrictions companies face.  In a reception by the governor, the state honored six companies for outstanding workplace safety.  Many of these companies are in the construction business.

Governor Hickenlooper recognized AMI Mechanical, Mark Young Construction, Cedar Red Gathering, RK Mechanical, GE Johnson Construction Company, and Hydro Construction Company for demonstrating the epitome of high safety standards at work.

“A safe workplace benefits everyone,” said Governor John Hickenlooper in making the presentations, “and it’s a job for everyone. In Colorado, there are roughly 120,000 work-related injuries each year and a quarter of those result in lost time. Reducing that number can be challenging, particularly for some industries, but these award winners will tell you that the benefits in employee productivity and morale and premium savings make it worth the effort.”

It is a testament to companies that maintain high standards of safety even when business is rough.