It’s been about seven months since Colorado Governor Jared Polis ordered the state’s ski resorts to shut down, triggering the first round of COVID job losses… the first of many.
Last December, an economic analysis predicted that Colorado would add about 40,000 new non-farm jobs during 2020, the slowest pace since 2011. The prediction did not account for a global pandemic. A new mid-year analysis suggests a loss of nearly 5% of Colorado non-farm jobs during 2020 — about 130,000 jobs.
Leisure and hospitality workers in Colorado continue to suffer the highest level of pandemic job losses, with employment in that sector predicted to end the year down 22% — about 77,000 jobs — which would amount to about three out of every five jobs the state is expected to lose this year.
The Polis administration has responded to the employment crisis by extending unemployment subsidies for 13 weeks, with benefits kicking in after regular benefits and federal emergency benefits are exhausted.
“Based upon the economic conditions of the state of Colorado, and actually, this has happened nationwide, we have triggered what’s called state extended benefits, or SEB,” said Jeff Fitzgerald, director of unemployment insurance at the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, during a call with reporters on Thursday.
People who qualify won’t need to make another claim and will be contacted by unemployment officials.
Colorado has thus far paid out about $4.5 billion in unemployment benefits during the pandemic, with about two-thirds coming from federal dollars. By early next week, the state’s unemployment trust fund, which is used to pay regular benefits, will run out of money. Colorado is reportedly planning to borrow federal money to continue paying benefits to everyone on unemployment, but the federal loan must be paid back eventually.
About 7,000 unemployed Coloradans have exhausted their regular benefits, which last for 26 weeks, and those folks are now getting federal emergency compensation for an extra 13 weeks.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order over the weekend, proposing to pay an extra $400 a week in unemployment benefits through December 6. The president’s proposed program would take $44 billion out of the FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, but there’s concern about the order’s legality since, according to the US Constitution, only Congress has budget authority.
Some Colorado officials have expressed concern that the program would reduce available disaster relief funding right in the middle of hurricane season.
The Polis administration is reportedly planning to apply to FEMA for the funds, and to find out the state’s allotment.
Need help with unemployment?
- File a claim: coloradoui.gov/fileaclaim
- Don’t want to wait on hold? First-time claimants fill out this call back form
- Schedule an in-person appointment
- Never got or lost your PIN? Fill out this form
- Fix a date or backdate an existing claim: Fill out this form
- Request a payment: myui.coworkforce.com/Login/Index
- Change payment method: Start here
- Reopen a claim: Start here
- Ask a question at Dept. of Labor virtual town hall: colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/covid-19/town-halls
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