Most Colorado employers implemented policies to encourage employees to get vaccinated, 76% in fact, according to a recent survey by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce.

The survey included 40 businesses “of all sizes” from 17 different industries across Colorado, according to the chamber.

“With the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine and loosening restrictions across the state, a recovery is in sight for many Colorado businesses,” Colorado Chamber President Chuck Berry said in a statement.

Of businesses implementing the pro-vaccination policies, 56% provided educational materials and resources on getting shots, 54% provided paid time off to employees getting vaccinated, and 29% offered on-site vaccinations. None of the employers surveyed mandated their employees be vaccinated.

The survey was conducted between May 12-14.

It shows 88% of the businesses surveyed are concerned about future unemployment insurance premium increases due to the pandemic.

According to a recent study by the Common Sense Institute, the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund was depleted in July in the face of soaring new state claims. The study shows the fund is$1 billion in debt and will could huge tax increases on businesses to recover. Eighty five percent of the business survey respondents “would like to see state leaders dedicate state or federal stimulus funding to help backfill the unemployment system.”

“The legislature still must confront major policy issues to get our economy back on track,” Berry said in a statement. “Jobs should be our top priority, and the first step in getting Coloradans back to work is to help the businesses that employ them.

“One of most pressing concerns facing Colorado employers is the state’s unemployment system and the significant premium increases needed to replenish the fund,” he said. “The uncertainty this poses for businesses could impede our economic recovery and should be a focus of state leaders moving forward.”

Here’s some other interesting tidbits from the study:

• 71% of companies, or their employees, experienced unemployment insurance fraud during the pandemic
• 37% reported difficulty hiring employees due to unemployment benefits exceeding wages
• 74% of the surveyed businesses said they are, or were, negatively impacted by the pandemic, but 23 percent expect full recovery in a year
• 22% reported no employees working remotely, and 40% of the respondents said “most of our employees have already returned to the office full-time”
• On improving the state’s transportation infrastructure, 63% supported increased fees on electric vehicles “if state and federal funding for transportation infrastructure is limited”
• Another 37-39% of the companies surveyed supported additional fees on road usage, diesel fuel and ride-sharing/deliveries

“The economy cannot grow like we need it to without investments in our transportation infrastructure,” one company official wrote. “I think this is important for future growth and economic success in Colorado.”

Said another: “With projected growth in Colorado, I feel like we need to continue to spend on infrastructure to avoid larger issues in the future.”