Jobless numbers unchanged

The unemployment rate remained unchanged in Northwest Montana counties and statewide during March.

Flathead County continued to post a double-digit jobless rate, reporting 10.7 percent unemployment in March, identical to February’s unemployment rate. During March Flathead County reported 4,603 unemployed workers and 38,231 employed people.

Lincoln County continued to have the highest unemployment rate in the state, with 16.6 percent. Sanders County’s rate remained at 16.5 percent.

Lake County’s unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in March, slightly better than 10.3 percent reported in February.

Montana’s unemployment held steady in March, remaining at 6.2 percent. The state unemployment rate has declined 1.6 percent since August 2011 while the national unemployment rate declined slightly to 8.2 percent for March.

“Although job growth has slowed slightly this month, likely due to increased oil and gasoline prices, I remain positive about continued job growth throughout the rest of the year,” Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly said in a press release.

Total state employment estimates, which include payroll, self-employed, and agricultural workers, indicated slower job growth of 264 jobs in March, but the increase of 6,300 jobs over the last year remains above Montana’s long-term growth rate. Payroll employment estimates indicated a decline of about 200 jobs over the last month, but job totals have increased over the last quarter.

Statewide unemployment figures are seasonally adjusted to remove the effects of events that follow a more or less regular month-to-month pattern each year.