Governor Steve Bullock today announced Montana’s unemployment rate remained at 3.9% in August. The U.S. unemployment rate increased slightly by 0.1 percentage points to 4.4%.

“Montana’s economy is strong,” said Governor Bullock. “Businesses are growing and hiring more employees. We must continue to ensure employers have access to a highly-skilled workforce to fill good-paying jobs through apprenticeship, work-based learning, and continuing investments in education – from pre-K to college.”

Payroll employment increased by 2,000 jobs in August, with retail trade and healthcare leading the industries adding jobs. Total employment increased by 400 jobs in August on a seasonally adjusted basis. Total employment includes the self-employed, agricultural workers, and payroll employment.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased by 0.4% in August. The increase is primarily due to increases in prices for gasoline and shelter. Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U has increased by 1.9%. The index for all items less food and energy, also called core inflation, increased 0.2% in August. 

** 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 nonseasonal 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 and Industry’s Research and Analysis Bureau at 1-800-541-3904.

The next Labor Situation Report for the month of September 2017 will be released on Friday, October 20, 2017. 

****** 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 provides an overview of the Labor Day Report.

****** 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 3.4%. 

****** 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 3.4%. Reservation areas overlap with county areas, meaning that unemployed individuals living on a reservation will be included in both the reservation and county totals.