How Optimistic Are Colorado's Business Leaders?

Colorado business leaders are feeling increasingly optimistic for the second quarter of 2021 and beyond, according to the latest report from the Business Research Division at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business.

The optimism is partly due to the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in Colorado, the report shows.

“While the Colorado and national economy will likely continue to struggle for many months, there seems to be reason for optimism in the year ahead,” said Richard Wobbekind, senior economist at the Leeds School of Business.

Colorado employment increased by 8.5 percent from April to November, equating to around 209,600 jobs, the report shows.

The rebound stalled in November, however, with the state adding just 6,900 jobs from the previous month.

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While all of Colorado’s metropolitan statistical areas lost jobs in 2020, the Boulder metro area recorded the largest year-over-year employment decline, at 7.2 percent, according to the report.

>> Read the full Leeds Business Confidence Index here.