Colorado Recovery Watch - March 2012

The March jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed slight improvements in the employment market. Most states have experienced steady progress toward economic recovery: thirty states posted unemployment rate declines, while only eight states had increases, and twelve states including Colorado reported no change. Another 2,600 jobs were added in Colorado between February and March.1 More than half of the jobs lost during the 2007 recession have been recovered. Still, a robust jobs recovery has yet to solidify in Colorado or nationwide. Public safety nets, such as nutritional assistance and health coverage, continue to experience increased enrollment levels, a sign that the effects of the 2007 recession linger.

In the latest edition of Colorado Recovery Watch, Policy Analyst Ben Felson examines a range of data showing how workers are getting by in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

Colorado Recovery Watch is a monthly snapshot of economic data, with a special focus on jobs and public-assistance programs. Read it online, along with other analysis of jobs and economic security from the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, a project of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy.