Jobs & Our Economy | Common Sense Institute

Colorado Jobs and Labor Force Update: September 2021

Oct 22, 2021

Although September job growth was lower than what is needed to achieve a full recovery by January 2023, adjusted for population growth, Colorado reached an important recovery milestone last month. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the labor force participation rate for Colorado mothers exceeded its pre-pandemic level.

Are Denver Taxes Too High? The Fiscal Impacts of Ordinance 304 “Enough Taxes Already”

Oct 12, 2021

Ordinance 304 or the “Enough Taxes Already” ballot initiative proposes to cut the City of Denver’s sales tax from 4.81% to 4.5% and impose a cap at the latter rate.

Proposition 120: What Voters See, May Not Be What Voters Get

Oct 5, 2021

Proposition 120 – “Property Tax Assessment Rate Reduction” proposes to permanently reduce the statewide property tax assessment rate for several classes of property.

Dollars and Data 2021

Sep 29, 2021

If Colorado is to have a substantive public discourse about how to improve educational outcomes, there needs to be a common understanding of how K-12 public education is funded in the state. This study analyzes statewide and regional trends in K-12 revenues and spending over the past decade to help ground conversations in facts.

Colorado Jobs and Labor Force Update: August 2021

Sep 17, 2021

In April 2020, Colorado lost over 360,000 jobs, experienced the worst month of economic performance in its history, and launched into a deep and abiding recession. A little over a year later, the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that, though Colorado’s workforce has already endured the worst of the recession and is ahead of pace to recover fully by 2023, much progress remains to be made.

Homelessness Issues on the Denver 2021 Ballot: Ordinance 303 and Referred Question 2B

Sep 14, 2021

This November, Denver voters face two ballot measures related to homelessness: Initiated Ordinance 303: “Let’s Do Better” and Referred Question 2B: Denver Housing and Sheltering System Bonds as part of the RISE GO Bond.

Colorado Jobs and Labor Force Update: July 2021

Aug 20, 2021

The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) jobs and labor force data shows that, while the state has made significant progress from the April 2020 low points, achieving full recovery will take significantly more time.

The Economic Footprint of Homelessness in Metro Denver

Aug 4, 2021

Common Sense Institute has partnered with several local organizations and leaders to conduct a three-phase project to understand the many challenges and types of homelessness. This is Phase one of this project and is focused on the current resources dedicated to the homeless in Metro Denver.

Colorado Jobs and Labor Force Update: June 2021

Jul 16, 2021

The latest data from the Current Employment Statistics survey shows that, though Colorado’s workforce has been on its way to recovering from the worst of the recession over the past several months, a lot of progress remains to be made.

The Steep Price Tag of the 2021 Legislative Session:

Jul 13, 2021

Common Sense Institute analyzes the taxes and fees that resulted from the 2021 legislative session. Under the additional impact of this year’s legislative action, the total net direct cost of rules and legislation passed since 2018 is now over $2.1 billion.