Job picture brightens

Flathead jobless rate drops to 10.5 percent

Spring work helped provide a respite from soaring unemployment rates in April, when the Flathead's jobless rate dropped 2.2 percentage points to a four-month low.

Flathead County had a 10.5 percent unemployment rate in April, according to the latest state statistics, down from 12.7 percent in March.

Numbers from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry show that there were 5,087 people out of work in Flathead County in April.

That's an improvement of 998 people from a month earlier, but it's still the highest number of unemployed people in the state. Gallatin and Yellowstone counties follow with 3,314 and 3,305 people unemployed, respectively.

"I don't really have any one thing to pin it on," Flathead Job Service Manager Bill Nelson said. "It's a combination of things. First, we didn't have any large layoffs. A few smaller ones trickled in."

Some of the gain, he speculated, could be from a few workers laid off over the winter coming back to work. Park Service jobs, some construction companies that are gearing up for new work, and hiring by two Kalispell firms, Stellar Recovery and Teletech, also contributed to the improvement, he said.

Lawn care, golf course maintenance and summer recreation jobs at raft companies, guide services and the like typically add to the area's seasonal employment beginning around May.

"This is definitely a good start to the summer," Nelson said. "It's a time for optimism. Summer's coming along and maybe it's a chance for businesses to do some improvements," perhaps painting, sidewalk repairs, remodels.

"If you're more optimistic you're more likely to go out there and spread the wealth."

The state's numbers for individual counties are not adjusted for seasonal fluctuations in the work force. Montana's unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in April. When seasonally adjusted, it was 6 percent.

National unemployment was 8.6 percent in April. Seasonally adjusted, it was 8.9 percent.

Flathead County's unemployment is the fourth-highest rate in the state, moving up a notch from third in March.

Lincoln County had the highest jobless rate at 14.7 percent, but that was down from 16.6 percent in March. Sanders County had a jobless rate of 13.4 percent (down from 16 percent) and Mineral County's unemployment rate was 10.8 percent (down from 11.8 percent).

Unemployment figures show only the result of decisions made by employers after they feel the economic pinch. And unemployment numbers do not include those who have fallen off the unemployment rolls because their benefits ran out, they forsake a job search, or they leave the area to find work.

This year has taken a high toll on workers.

November's unemployment in the Flathead was 7.3 percent. It rose to 8.7 percent in December, then to 11.3 percent in January. February's jobless rate was 12.2 percent and March was 12.7 percent.

Nelson said he is watching for other signs that could indicate the Flathead's economy is getting some new life.

"It's a turn, so we have to keep our fingers crossed and hope maybe we're on our road to recovery," he said. "For right now we're being cautiously optimistic."

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com