DENVER (AP) - Economists expect Colorado to lose many more jobs than initially expected in 2010 as businesses remain wary of hiring workers.

University of Colorado economist Richard Wobbekind on Wednesday
said he now expects 20,250 jobs to be lost in Colorado this year, significantly more than the 3,200 he predicted back in December.

Denver's center for business and economic forecasting is predicting a loss of 30,000 jobs. While it may seem like a lot, that's still far below the more than 100,000 jobs lost in 2009.

Economist Patricia Silverstein says experts had been encouraged by a national decrease in unemployment claims but misread the willingness of businesses to hire. Wobbekind says small businesses do most of the hiring in Colorado and many are still having trouble getting loans.
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