Colorado job growth slide prompts a 19-point plan on permits and taxes

By Ethan Morgan | Hoodline

Colorado’s job-growth ranking fell 30 places in a single year, and a new state panel just handed Gov. Jared Polis a 19-point plan it says can help turn that slide around. The Governor’s Competitiveness Council released its policy roadmap Wednesday, aiming to make the state’s business climate more attractive to employers at a moment when officials are watching economic momentum cool.

According to the Denver Gazette, the council is a recently established public-private partnership led by business and economic leaders from across Colorado. Polis said he has received the council’s roadmap and recommendations and plans to review them, considering how the document might be used to support homegrown businesses, attract new companies and strengthen the state’s economy, the outlet reported.

How the Roadmap Came Together

The council was formed to bring together business, labor, education and investors to recommend ways to streamline regulation and strengthen Colorado’s economy, per the Gazette’s report. Polis launched the effort in July 2026 to develop what the paper described as a collaborative long-term vision for national business competitiveness and a leading statewide economy and innovation ecosystem.

Membership includes the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Business Roundtable and the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Gazette reported. To gather input, the council held seven listening sessions across Colorado that drew more than 490 participants representing 60 industries. The University of Colorado Leeds School of Business also analyzed economic competitiveness indicators to help identify the state’s advantages and the threats facing its future growth, according to the same report.

Nineteen Recommendations, From Permits to Payroll Taxes

The roadmap’s 19 recommendations touch several corners of the state’s regulatory landscape. They include broad regulatory reforms, a push to streamline the construction permitting process, and a simplified sales and use tax system, the Gazette reported. The council also recommended expanding workforce-training incentives such as Opportunity Now and Skill Advance.

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