Governor Bullock Announces Montana’s Unemployment Rate Stable

• — April 20 2018

MONTANA – Governor Steve Bullock today announced Montana’s unemployment rate remained stable at 4.1% for the month of March. The U.S. unemployment rate also remained at 4.1%.

Montana's economy continues to grow and diversify, creating new opportunities for businesses small and large to expand and create more good-paying jobs for Montanans, said Governor Bullock. As winter turns to spring, Montanans and communities across the state are feeling the benefits of a strong economy and record workforce participation.

Both payroll and total employment levels posted insignificant decreases over the last month, with little changes in employment levels across most industries. There were also insignificant changes in both the labor force and unemployment estimates. Similar to February, little has changed in the Montana economy over the last month.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) decreased by 0.1% in March, primarily due to a 4.9% decrease in the gasoline index. Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U has increased by 2.4%. The index for all items less food and energy, also called core inflation, increased 0.2% in March, with a change of 2.1% over the last year.

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** Unemployment figures are seasonally-adjusted. Seasonally-adjusted numbers remove the effects of events that follow a more or less regular month-to-month pattern each year. These adjustments make non-seasonal patterns easier to identify. The margin of error for the unemployment rate is plus or minus 0.5 percentage points at the 90 percent confidence level. All questions relating to the calculation of unemployment rates should be directed to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry’s Research and Analysis Bureau at 1-800-541-3904.

The next Labor Situation Report for the month of April 2018 will be released on Friday, May 18, 2018.

****** INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET ******

Visit our website at www.lmi.mt.gov for additional information and analysis, including industry employment levels, background on the unemployment rate, and wage rates by occupation.  This month’s Economy at a Glance examines outdoor recreation industries in Montana.

****** COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT RATES ******

The unemployment rate and ranking for each of Montana’s 56 counties is provided below for your convenience.  County unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted and should be compared to the unadjusted statewide unemployment rate of 4.7%.

****** RESERVATION UNEMPLOYMENT RATES ******

The unemployment rate and ranking for each of Montana’s seven reservations is provided below.  Reservation unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted and should be compared to the unadjusted statewide unemployment rate of 4.7%. Reservation areas overlap with county areas, meaning that unemployed individuals living on a reservation will be included in both the reservation and county totals.