The latest employment figures for the state are the worst we’ve seen all year. Local joblessness rose to 8.6 percent in November, just a bit lower than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent. But there was a bright spot: The state added jobs for a third consecutive month (via The Denver Post). Employers created 3,800 jobs last month (and 12,300 since September), leading Governor Bill Ritter to say that “while families, businesses, and the state’s economy as a whole continue to struggle, these numbers demonstrate the recovery has started and our economic-development strategies are working” (via the Denver Business Journal).

Meanwhile, the local ski industry is holding out hope that the holidays will bring millions of visitors after two years of recessionary slow-down. “What we’re hearing anecdotally from our resorts is that holiday bookings are up or holding steady,” Jennifer Rudolph, a spokeswoman for Colorado Ski Country USA, tells The Wall Street Journal. “That’s good to hear, but no one is doing backflips just yet.”