Denver Overview

The Denver job market is in a solid position, thanks to the area’s diverse economy that supported it through the recession. Denver’s proximity to the mountain states and location halfway between the Midwest and West Coast benefit its economy on several fronts. The location enables strong transportation and telecommunications sectors. The city is also home to a strong federal presence. The area’s inviting mountain location and overall quality of life attract an increasing population.

Denver Job Opportunities

Denver’s business environment has a strong record of competitiveness, venture-capital funding and entrepreneurial activity. The area’s heavy government presence has drawn a strong aerospace sector, while its high elevation and one-bounce satellite uplink drives an impressive broadcasting and telecommunications sector. Other critical business areas include aviation, bioscience, energy, financial services, healthcare and IT.

Trade, transportation and utilities is the top employment sector for the Denver area’s 1.4 million workers. Other top sectors include professional/business services and government. Professional/business services, education/health services, construction and other services have each reported recent strong percentage gains in job growth, while information employment has declined.

Denver Employment Trends

Denver job conditions are trending positive. The city’s unemployment rate, which remained below 10 percent during the recession, dipped below 8 percent at the end of 2011, but returned to rates above 8 percent at the beginning of 2012. After declining for 20 months during the recession, Denver payrolls have shown mostly positive growth since mid-2010. Online hiring has been expanding and is near prerecession levels.

Denver jobs are expected to increase 1.4 percent between Q2 2012 and Q2 2013, about on pace with the 1.3 percent increase expected in the US job supply, Moody’s Analytics forecasts.