DENVER (AP) -- Unemployment is down slightly in Colorado thanks to the addition of new jobs in October.

The State Labor Department reported Tuesday that the unemployment rate declined two-tenths of a percentage point to 8.1 percent in October as Colorado added 8,800 non-farm jobs.

The head of the State Labor Department, Ellen Golombek, said job creation now is stronger than it was a year ago but acknowledged that the state has a long way to go to recover all the jobs lost since the recession hit.

The Labor Department says over 30,000 jobs have been created since the beginning of the year.

Unemployment rates fell in three-quarters of U.S. States last month, a sign that many parts of the country are experiencing modest job gains.

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