Press Releases

(DENVER) – Today the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment announced it has begun paying benefits under the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program, a federally-funded unemployment benefit providing Coloradans with an additional $300/week for up to six weeks. President Trump announced the LWA program last month, authorizing FEMA to expend up to $44 billion from its Disaster Relief Fund.

According to the survey of households, Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 6.7 percent in August from 7.4 percent in July. During the same period, the national unemployment rate declined one and eight-tenths of a percentage point to 8.4 percent. 

(DENVER) -- Today the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) reported that 5,025 regular initial unemployment claims were filed the week ending September 12th. There were also 1,533 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims filed for the same week. Since mid-March, a total of 553,618 regular unemployment initial claims have been filed and a grand total of 711,760 claims, including federal PUA benefits.* 

The pandemic has upended the world of work for both workers and employers; millions of people are unemployed and many businesses are struggling to stay afloat.

While the pandemic’s health and economic effects continue to be felt statewide, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Workforce Centers want Colorado’s workers and employers to know they’re still open for business.

DENVER - The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s (CDLE) Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (DLSS) announced today the proposed new Colorado minimum wage, currently at $12.00, will adjust for inflation on January 1, 2021 to $12.32, as required by the Colorado Constitution. In 2006, Colorado voters approved a ballot measure tying the annual minimum wage to inflation, except for 2017-20, when it rose by larger amounts due to a 2016 ballot measure raising the minimum wage to $12.00 by 2020.

(DENVER) -- Today the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) reported that 5,974 regular initial unemployment claims and 2,216 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims were filed the week ending September 5th. Additionally, 3,253 PUA initial claims were filed the week ending August 29th. Since mid-March, a total of 548,593 regular unemployment initial claims and 156,589 pandemic unemployment assistance claims have been filed. 

Due to the pandemic, workers, job seekers, and employers have had to transition to working in a virtual world, a transition that has brought challenges as well as opportunities.

(DENVER) -- Today the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) provided an update on unemployment insurance fraud and outlined steps individuals should take if they suspect their identity was used to file a fraudulent unemployment claim. As unemployment claims continue to sustain historic levels, there have been greater incidents of fraud reported in Colorado and nationally.

(DENVER) -- Today the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) reported that 7,138 regular initial unemployment claims were filed the week ending August 1st. There were also 7,585 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims filed for the same week. Since mid-March, a total of 517,203 regular unemployment initial claims have been filed and a grand total of 679,255 claims, including federal PUA benefits.*