Jobless rate goes back above 10 percent

The unemployment rate for Northwest Montana counties continued to rise in November.

Flathead County’s unemployment rate was 10.1 percent in November, according to figures released Friday by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

That marked the third straight month that Flathead’s jobless rate had increased. It was 8.8 percent in September and 9.3 percent in October.

Before September, the local unemployment rate had been steadily declining from its peak of 12.7 percent in March.

The November figures show that of Flathead County’s work force of 47,742 people, there are 42,908 people with jobs and 4,834 without jobs.

Other Northwest Montana counties also experienced higher jobless rates from October to November.

Lake County went from 8.5 to 9.2 percent, Lincoln County from 11.3 to 12.8 percent, Mineral County from 9.1 to 10.2 percent and Sanders County from 11.5 to 12.2 percent.

Lincoln County had the highest unemployment rate in the state. Of the six Montana counties with double-digit unemployment, four are in Northwest Montana.

Employment numbers for individual counties are not adjusted for seasonal fluctuations in the work force.

Statewide, the Montana unemployment rate remained steady at 6.4 percent during November. That figure is seasonally adjusted.

The national unemployment rate dropped from 10.2 percent to 10 percent in November.