Jobless rate holds steady at 7 percent

Flathead County’s unemployment rate held steady at 7 percent in June, a continuance of a marked improvement in the local economy.

The jobless rate is the lowest it’s been in five years and has been improving steadily in recent months.

There were 3,155 unemployed workers in the county during June with 41,649 people working.

Neighboring counties lost a little ground in the job arena, with Lincoln County’s unemployment rate increasing from 11.5 percent in May to 12.9 percent in June. Sanders County went from 10 percent unemployment in May to 11.2 percent in June, and Lake County went from 6.5 percent to 7.1 percent.

Statewide the unemployment rate held steady at 5.4 percent.

“Montana’s economy got back on track in the second quarter of 2013 after a slow first quarter,” Labor Commissioner Pam Bucy said in a press release. “We added over 1,700 jobs this quarter, and have gained over 6,000 jobs over the last year.”

Private payroll growth was very strong for the month across Montana, adding 2,300 jobs. However, government job losses countered these gains, resulting in a gain of only 100 jobs for overall payroll employment (combining the private and public sectors). Total employment estimates, which include payroll employment plus the self-employed, also suggested little change in job levels for June.