Record High Labor Force, Continued Wage and Personal Income Growth Fuel Montana’s Economy

• September 03 2025

2025 Labor Day Report Highlights Robust Opportunity for Montana Workers

(HELENA, MT) Sept. 1, 2025 – Montana Commissioner of Labor Sarah Swanson released today the 2025 Labor Day Report, highlighting the continued record growth in employment in Montana’s labor force and sustained improvement in wages for the fifth year in a row.

“Montana’s industrious workforce continues to power a strong, resilient economy across the state,” said Swanson. “While we have struggled through some difficult layoffs and closures, Montana still offers tremendous opportunity in critical sectors, such as skilled trades, health care, and technology.”

According to the report, more Montanans are working now than at any point in the state’s history. With more than 60,000 jobs added over the last five years, the state’s steady economic growth has resulted in an average 2.3.% annual growth in real wages since 2020 and an average 7.2% annual increase in personal income.

As the state continues to add jobs, unemployment rates remain low and labor shortages persist in many sectors. There are nearly 2 job openings for every unemployed person in Montana, as well as more than 100,000 working-age Montanans who have left the workforce entirely.

On August 11, 2025, Governor Greg Gianforte signed Executive Order 5-2025, launching the 406 JOBS initiative, designed to modernize Montana’s workforce system and ensure that all Montanans have a pathway to a career and a plan to achieve it. The initiative particularly focuses on tearing down barriers to employment and supporting people in returning to the workforce.

“As we celebrate the Montana Worker and look ahead to America’s 250th anniversary next year, the 406 JOBS initiative is a call to action to ensure that opportunities for work and prosperity are available to all Montanans,” said Swanson. “Our economy continues to grow, and this is the moment to reconnect workers in our state to meaningful employment and prosperity. 406 JOBS will mobilize our state workforce system with an urgency for reform that is unprecedented in our state. We will celebrate apprenticeships, short-term credentials, college degrees, military service, entrepreneurship and all the ways that Montanans pursue their dream careers. We will build bridges back to work and develop local talent pipelines that close the labor force gaps across the state. This is the moment for the Montana Worker.”

The 2025 Labor Day Report is available to the public on the Montana Labor Market Information website. Also available online is The Montanans for Hire report, focusing on the population that has exited the workforce.