Across the country, state governments are slashing budgets and cutting the size of their state workforce. That is not the case in Colorado.
State employment has two components: Higher Education and State Government. Over the past two years, cber.co has reported how the Higher Education workforce has grown for the past decade.
As can be seen in the chart below, Colorado State Government employment (excluding higher education) has reported steady growth since 2004. This is contrary to the trend for the aggregate total of all states.
What lies ahead for state workers? Are these increases justified? Will the Governor continue to add workers to his team over the next year as revenues increase? What makes Colorado different from other states? Will state jobs reliant on federal funding be trimmed as adjustments are made to the federal budget? If the state population increases by 80,000 to 100,000 people every year, won’t it be necessary to add state workers to provide essential services for them? Will the state experience a post recession drop off in workers, as was the case in 2002-2004? How will the elections impact the future of the size of Colorado’s government?
Two sources are recommended for tracking the fortunes of the Colorado State Government: the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting and the Colorado Legislative Council provide quarterly updates of the state economy and finances.
To learn more about the challenges facing government leaders across the country, read The Report of the State Budget Crisis Task Force. The report focuses on six states but illustrates problems that exist in Colorado.
For additional information on the Colorado go to https://cber.co/CBEReconomy.html.
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