CENTENNIAL, Colo, June 20, 2012 -- Unemployment across the county and across Colorado remains stuck at about 8%. Analysts expect the hiring outlook to stay sluggish in the months ahead. So an announcement of 500 new full-time jobs that pay a decent salary is encouraging to those who’ve been looking for work for months.

The company that’s hiring is called Connextions.

"We have 550 positions to be filled in the next 60 days," said Steve Auerbach, President of Connextions.

The positions are for the company’s Solutions Center located in Centennial. Employees will field questions from customers to help advise and enroll them in health plans most appropriate for their needs. The jobs require some training, but no special training in the medical field. Connextions services six of the nation’s seven leading health insurance companies.

"We’ll pay for all the training materials, provide free courses and support to help people get their state insurance license. And that is a license to help them get into a new career," Auerbach said.

The positions are on the Connextions Web site and anyone interested can apply online. A majority of them are for licensed and non-licensed insurance agents. Salaries range between $30,000 – $40,000.

"This is a great day for being able to make an announcement about jobs," Governor Hickenlooper said at a news conference announcing the new jobs.

The state’s unemployment rate increased from April to May to 8.1-percent. That’s slightly lower than the national rate of 8.2-percent.

"What’s most important to us is to find talented, passionate resources that want to help consumers navigate through the health care system. And as we looked across the country, Denver came right up at the top of the list," Auerbach said.

Connextions also operates a technology development center in Boulder. That location is hiring as well.

Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: http://denver.cbslocal.com