Governor Bullock Announces Montana’s Unemployment Rate Remains Steady at 3.5% in February

• March 27 2020

Governor Bullock today announced Montana’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.5 percent in February, with about 800 jobs added over the month. The U.S. unemployment rate was also 3.5 percent in February.

“These numbers reflect prior to COVID-19 reaching Montana, and we know much has changed in the last month,” said Governor Bullock. “Our long-term growth is best helped by guaranteeing the health and safety of our workers and their families during this crisis. To rebuild our economic strength, we must do everything we can to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in Montana.”

Total employment, which includes agricultural, payroll, and self-employed workers, grew by 798 jobs in February with similar growth in the labor force of 803 workers. Payroll employment was level after making strong gains of 2,700 over the last three months.

Unemployment claims have increased in the last several weeks due to public health and safety measures. These impacts will be evident in next month’s employment data. A website to track current claims and employment data is available at lmi.mt.gov/home/job-tracking [nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com]. In addition, a resource guide for Montana employers and employees impacted by COVID-19 is available at dli.mt.gov/employer-covid-19 [nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com].

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1% in February, with a decline in the energy index. The index for all items less food and energy, also called core inflation, rose by 0.2%. Core inflation rose 2.3% over the last twelve months.

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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 406-444-4100.

The next Labor Situation Report for the month of February released on Friday, April 17.

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

Visit our website at www.lmi.mt.gov [nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] for additional information and analysis, including industry employment levels, background on the unemployment rate, and wage rates by occupation.

****** 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 4.2%. 

****** 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 4.2%. Reservation areas overlap with county areas, meaning that unemployed individuals living on a reservation will be included in both the reservation and county totals.

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