Colorado
Laid off in Colorado? Start here.
Who to call, what Colorado law says about your notice, and the free state programs most people never hear about. Everything here is free, and every fact has its source at the bottom.
Who to call
Colorado's free help, in one place.
Rapid Response is the state team that steps in around a layoff. The job center is where you sign up for career help and training. Unemployment is its own office.
- Rapid Response
- Employment and Training Division, Workforce Development ProgramsRapid Response Team Hotline: 303-318-8267CDLE layoff services and Rapid Response
- Unemployment
- Colorado Department of Labor and Employment303-318-9000File a claimBefore you file, check how Colorado treats severance with the Unemployment Check.
- Job center near you
- Find an American Job Center (search by ZIP code)
The Rapid Response team works with employers too, so say up front that you're a worker who was laid off and ask where to start. You don't need your employer's permission.
Your notice
The federal notice rule applies here.
Colorado has no layoff-notice law of its own. The federal WARN Act applies, and notices go to the state's Rapid Response and WARN coordinator.
Under the federal WARN Act, employers with 100 or more employees generally have to give 60 days' notice of a plant closing or mass layoff. Smaller layoffs often come with no notice at all.
See recent Colorado notices on PinkSlipped's Layoff Wire.
Only in Colorado
What's different here.
Free virtual workshops for laid-off workers
The state Rapid Response team runs a recurring series of online workshops, hosted with local workforce centers, on unemployment, benefits and career services. Workforce centers post the dates.
Arapahoe/Douglas Works!, Statewide Rapid Response Layoff workshop listing
Career coaching through workforce centers
Colorado's Career Navigation and Coaching Collaborative put trained career coaches in workforce centers and community nonprofits, including a bilingual virtual region. Ask your workforce center whether coaching is available now.
Before the first call
Four free checks, in the order you'll need them.
They work for Colorado and every other state, and none of them asks for your name.
- 1Unemployment CheckWhen to file, and the weeks severance may offset
- 2Runway CheckKnow your runway in ten minutes
- 3Insurance CheckCOBRA or the Marketplace: what coverage actually costs
- 4401(k) CheckWhat touching the 401(k) really costs
Your Plan puts the Colorado calls in the right week, next to your unemployment claim and your severance deadlines. Build my free Plan
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Rapid Response Coordinators
- U.S. Department of Labor, How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?
- Arapahoe/Douglas Works!, Statewide Rapid Response Layoff workshop listing
- Colorado Workforce Development Council
- CDLE layoff services and Rapid Response
Last reviewed October 26, 2026. Contacts and programs change; Colorado's job center has the final word.
General education, not legal advice. PinkSlipped isn't affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor or any state agency.