Colorado unemployment rate dips below 8 percent

Colorado’s unemployment rate decreased to 7.9 percent in October, down one-tenths of a percentage point from September’s unemployment rate of 8.0 percent.

Colorado matched the national unemployment rate of 7.9 percent last month. Colorado’s unemployment rate was down two-tenths of a percentage point from October of 2011, when the rate was 8.1 percent.

The figures were released Tuesday by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

The largest over-the-month private sector job gains were in professional and business services, health and education. Jobs in mining, logging and construction were down slightly from September, but above where those sectors were a year ago.