Flathead jobless rate increases in December

Unemployment rates in Flathead and surrounding counties inched upward in December.

Flathead County posted an unemployment rate of 5.9 percent last month, compared to 5.4 percent in November. The county has a current workforce of 42,437 people, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

Lincoln County has the highest jobless rate in the state, at 9.3 percent, compared to 8.5 percent in November. Sanders County increased from 6.8 to 8.1 percent, and Lake County increased from 4.2 percent to 4.6 percent in December.

The state unemployment rate held steady at 4.0 percent over the month of December after dropping by 0.3 percentage points in November. The national unemployment rate increased slightly by 0.1 percentage points to 4.7 percent.

“Montana continues to outperform much of the nation, holding steady at near-historic low levels of unemployment for over a year,” Gov. Steve Bullock said in a press release. “As we continue to build on our economic strength and create a business climate that attracts, retains, and grows businesses, we’re making it easier for employers all across Montana to create more good-paying jobs.”

Montana’s economy added more than 4,000 payroll jobs in the fourth quarter of 2016 from the prior quarter, with gains in construction, manufacturing and leisure activities industries. Total employment estimates, which include the self-employed and agricultural employment in addition to payroll employment, indicated an over-the-month gain of roughly 500 jobs, with fourth-quarter growth of 2,400 jobs over the prior quarter.