Aldo Svaldi at The Denver Post reports:
Colorado’s workforce should grow twice as fast as the rest of the country through 2024, with many of those new jobs coming in higher-paying, knowledge-based occupations, according to a labor market study from the Colorado Office of Economic Development.
But the study — conducted by Mercer — found some big mismatches when it comes to the kind of college degrees students in the state are obtaining, and the jobs available.
“We are doing pretty good on the employer side. We will have to focus more on the talent side,” said Fiona Arnold, executive director of the state’s economic development office.
For example, Colorado graduates enough advertising, marketing and public relations majors each year to replace everyone employed in those fields in the state — and then some.
Denver Public Relations Blog 
Found this to be painfully true when after getting laid off last year, and I couldn’t find a new job in PR/communications anywhere in the Denver Metro. Had to move to Kansas City. Maybe one day, I’ll get to go back! 😦
Well, that did not cheer me up. (as I begin my degree)
Wow. I’m glad that I’m my own boss. But I think it has always been this way, hasn’t it Jeremy?
It seems with so much burgeoning talent to pick from that our marketing and public relations agencies should be incredibly strong. Local agencies need to make sure to always secure the brightest talent so that out-of-state agencies pale in comparison.
I second Wendy’s point: It’s always been this way.
Add the fact that the vast majority of today’s corporate communications and public relations agency executives don’t have college degrees in PR. They majored in journalism, business, political science, marketing, psych, public health, sociology, economics, international affairs and nonprofit management. A sharp person with a strong liberal arts or business degree who knows how money and policy are made, can convey complex ideas in writing, perceives the forces and motivations driving modern society (Facebook is effect, not cause), and who can extrapolate experience from one arena to solve problems in another — those are the people getting hired for most of the best PR jobs.
Hey Jeremy, I find this to be very interesting, considering I’m double majoring in public relations and journalism right now at University of Oregon. I’m looking to go in to the PR field, but also apply my experiences with written reporting in some way. I have focused my personal blog on these struggles of young adults, and their navigation through the communications industry. I also worry about the job market, as I am graduating in just 3 months. I love both majors but have heard PR is the easiest field to get a job in, and journalism: the hardest. I would love to learn more about your study and the rate of students graduating and entering in to this field. I think you make good points though because I’ve been watching my roommates and class mates struggle to find jobs. I wonder if they’re struggling because they’re trying to get their “dream job” right out of college, or if the PR industry isn’t as easy to enter in to than professionals claim it to be. Your statement of graduated students equating to communication jobs within the state is crazy to think about too, because I’ve heard Denver to be a massive attraction to young adults, fresh out of college. It would be interesting to see how the popularity of Denver will affect the lack of communications jobs within the state. Great read!