New Report: Good paying jobs are in small supply throughout the West

A new report released today shows that good paying jobs are in small supply throughout the West.

In Colorado, for every 15 people looking for jobs, there is only one job opening that will pay the $29.71 needed to support single parent with two children, according to the report released by the Northwest Federation of Community Organization.

Of all job openings in the state, less than a third offer a wage that could support a family, the reported noted. The report, The 2009 Job Gap: Searching for Work that Pays, also found that in 2009, job-seekers in Colorado have spiked by more than 50 percent.

"This report puts the struggles of job-seekers into clear focus, and points to the growing need for lawmakers in Denver and D.C. to take action to ensure that all Coloradans can find work that pays," says Ben Hanna from the Colorado Progressive Coalition in a prepared release.

The report calculates a living wage - which factors in costs of living such as food, transportation, rent, bills, health care, child care and taxes - for a variety of family sizes, and measures how many job openings in Colorado pay that wage. The report also compares the number of job seekers to the number of living wage job openings.

In Weld County, the living wage has been calculated at $12.65 an hour for a single adult, well below Colorado's average of $13.34; the living wage for a household of two working adults and two small children was calculated at $35.65, also below the state's wage of $37.60, according to the report. The living wage for a single parent with two children in Weld was calculated at $27.77.

Organizations releasing the report point to several solutions, including increased fiscal relief for states to shore up budget shortfalls, a community job creation program that guarantee pay a living wage, and ensuring business maintain or improve wage standards despite a scheduled drop in the minimum wage.

"During this difficult time, our state should be supporting working families," said the Rev. Daniel Klawitter with FRESC, in the release. "No single program or policy is going to combat the extreme levels of unemployment we're seeing. We need a holistic approach that includes a public jobs program, state and local fiscal relief, and encourages businesses to provide a living wage."