Governor Bullock Announces Montana's Unemployment Rate Falls to 3.4%

• — August 20 2019

Montana- Governor Steve Bullock today announced that Montana's unemployment rate has reached a 10-year low for the second straight month, decreasing 0.1 percentage points to 3.4% in July.

"Montana's economy continues to grow, with about 4,000 new jobs added so far in 2019," Governor Bullock said. "My administration will continue to invest in our state's economy by expanding access to workforce development opportunities to ensure every Montanan has the ability to join the workforce and contribute to our ongoing success."

The national unemployment rate remained steady in July at 3.7%

Total employment, which includes agricultural, payroll and self-employed workers, indicated a gain of 1,371 jobs in July, while the labor force grew by 791. Payroll employment added 900 jobs over the month. The construction industry posted significant job gains over the month, with 600 jobs added, corresponding to 2.1% growth. Job losses were concentrated in retail trade, and leisure and hospitality industries. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3% in July, driven by a rise in gasoline prices. The indexes for all items less food and energy, also called core inflation, also rose by 0.3%. The core inflation rise was broad-based, with increases in the indexes for shelter, medical care, airline fares, household furnishings and operations, apparel, and personal care all contributing to the increase.

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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 direted to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry's Reseach and Analysis Bureau at 406-444-4100.

The next Labor Situation Report for the month of August 2019 will be released on Friday, September 20.2019.

**** 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.

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 2.7%.

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 2.7%. Reservation areas overlap with county areas, meaning that unemployed individuals living on a reservation will be included in both the reservation and county totals.

Contact Sam Loveridge: Public Information Officer, Department of Labor and Industry