Jobless rate remains in double digits

Flathead County’s unemployment rate remained in double digits through June, but more people are back in the labor force and that’s a good sign, Flathead Job Service manager Bill Nelson said.

The county’s unemployment rate in June posted at 11.4 percent, up slightly from 11.2 percent in May. A year ago the county’s unemployment rate for June was exactly the same, at 11.4 percent.

Flathead’s total labor force increased by about 1,500 people, from 43,798 in May to 45,302 in June. And even though the number of unemployed workers increased from 4,911 in May to 5,144 in June, there’s “reason for encouragement,” Nelson said.

He’s seeing more job orders coming into the Job Service, and the office is filling more jobs.

“We’re still hovering at about 300 jobs posted,” he said, “while fewer than 200 jobs were listed this time a year ago.”

Nelson hasn’t seen a spike in employment in any one sector but noted an upswing in heavy equipment operating jobs.

In Lincoln County, the unemployment rate also ticked up just slightly, from 14.9 percent in May to 15 percent in June.

Lake County’s jobless rate was up as well, from 10.1 percent in May to 11 percent in June.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percent to 7.5 percent. Despite the uptick in the unemployment rate for the month, Montana’s economy remains on the path to recovery, Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly said, with about 3,000 jobs added in the last quarter.

National figures also indicate slower job growth in June, with the U.S. unemployment rate increasing by 0.1 percent to 9.2 percent for June.

“The U.S. economic recovery has slowed in recent months, which has hampered Montana’s economic recovery,” Kelly said. “Despite these headwinds, Montana’s economy has expanded in the last quarter.”