Fiscal Policy Center

Addressing the Skills Gap: A Market-Based Approach for Colorado 0
- FISCAL, Issue Papers, Publications
- January 24, 2022
Colorado has experienced a skilled labor shortage for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the underlying problems in the workforce. The state has a high percentage of workers who are particularly vulnerable to forced closures compared with other states, yet those workers tend to lack the skills necessary to fill more secure, in-demand jobs
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The Colorado Skills Gap: Underlying Causes 0
- FISCAL, Issue Papers
- December 10, 2021
This report identifies and explores possible grounds for, and consequences of, skills gaps in Colorado’s labor market. Imbalances between job openings and job applicants are neither new nor largely unique to Colorado. Every state examined in this report suffers longstanding labor supply/demand imbalances, including gaps between the skill requirements of high-paying jobs and the skills
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Unequal Opportunities, Unequal Outcomes: The COVID-19 Recession in Colorado 0
- Issue Papers, Publications
- November 1, 2021
INTRODUCTION By mid-March 2020, it was apparent that a major pandemic was in process. Estimates were that millions upon millions of Americans would die from COVID-19 and that there would be insufficient hospital resources to treat all the expected chronic cases. As a result, almost all states instituted shelter-in-place emergency orders. Given the available information,
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Amendment 78: Accountability and Transparency For Custodial Funds 0
- Issue Backgrounders
- October 27, 2021
Topline Summary: Under current law, the governor or executive branch officials can unilaterally allocate certain funds which originate from outside of the state—known as custodial funds—often with little or no oversight. Amendment 78 would democratize the process of allocating custodial funds by requiring the general assembly to appropriate such funds after a public hearing. If
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